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Geological Report of its Mineral Resources, 


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PROF. J. S. NEWBERRY. 











CLEVELAND: 


PRINTED BY E. COWLES & CO., LEADER STEAM PRESS. 

1857. 


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ANNUAL REPORT 


OF THE 


Directors and Chief Engineer 


OF THE 



ALSO THE 


Geological Report of its Mineral Resources, 



BY 



PROF. J. S. NEWBERRY. 

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U. S. A. 


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CLEVELAND: 

PRINTED BY E. COWLES & CO., LEADER STEAM PRESS. 

1857. 









OFFICERS. 


DIRECTORS. 

Eben Newton, President. 

Henry Hubbard, Vice President 
Henry Fassett, Secretary. 
James Stone, 

William H. Howe, 

George C. Reis, 

John McClymonds. 


0. H. Fitch, Treasurer. 

Wm. Hale, Chief Engineer. 

Prof. JohnS. Newberry, Geologist. 


* 





REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS. 


To the Stockholders of the Ashtabula and New Lisbon Bail Road Co. 

Gentlemen I will attempt to give you a short history of our pro¬ 
ceedings for the past year, and present position and prospects. 

Last year you had a very full and able report from my predecessor, 
of our history after the organization, embracing the contract we had 
made for our work, and the progress under it, also a statement of our 
funds and expectations. 

It will not be necessary or desirable to repeat what was then said. 
The only portion of the road then under contract was from the Lake 
to Bristol, thirty-six miles. Our confidence in the Contractors, then 
expressed, is fully sustained. Although as much of the job is not com¬ 
pleted as was then hoped would be, yet the work has constantly 
and substantially progressed as fast as prudence and sound discretion 
would dictate, during the most extraordinary and unpropitious year 
we have had for the last twenty. 

It is but a little over three years since our first organization. Tin* 
first year there was a great failure of crops from an unprecedented 
drouth; the second, continued rains in the spring and harvest 
destroyed and cut short a large proportion of the crops, followed bv 
the most severe and long continued winter our oldest inhabitants can 
call to mind, and again followed by a season in which the drouth and 
insects the whole extent of the road, for a breadth of ten miles 
on each side, have cut short and destroyed enough of the products 
and income of the inhabitants, to have built the road, and placed it in 
running order. 

We have been seriously affected by these causes, having heretofore 
almost entirely relied upon domestic stock owned by those living 
near the road. 

Our road passes through a rich and flourishing part of the country. 
The counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana, in 
productive industry cannot be excelled by an}^ four connected agri¬ 
cultural counties in Ohio, and notwithstanding these unpropitious 
seasons, the inhabitants as a general thing are wealthy, and out of 
debt, and have paid their stock as promptly, as their circumstances 
will admit. 

The ultimate object of the road is to connect Lake Erie with the 
Ohio Iliver in a direct line. 

The road has been surveyed and located (except a short distance 
between Bristol and Niles) to New Lisbon, from fifteen to twenty 



V 


4 

miles from the river, depending upon the course taken to reach it, and 
it will find its terminus at the river, as naturally as rivulets find their 
way to rivers. Commerce will and does demand it, and enterprise 
will build it. 

Since our last annual meeting, your directors in May and June, as 
early as the long continued winter would permit, caused the road to 
be surveyed and located from Niles to New Lisbon, but from a steep 
and long grade from the centre of Canfield to the centre road at 
Greene, and also from Washingtonville to the Ohio and Pennsylvania 
Railroad; and also from the further consideration, that in grading a 
long hill, almost invariably a few feet from the surface we meet with 
blue clay, almost as difficult to excavate as rock, and our stock upon 
this part of the line being too small for so large a job, we have sur¬ 
veyed a new line from Canfield to Greene, by going a short distance 
East, and avoiding nearly the whole hill, and only increasing the dis¬ 
tance twenty.-four feet, and saving in the estimate $25,569 83. 

The estimates on the first line as made by the Engineer, amount to 
$43,984 50, and upon the newly surveyed route, to $18,414 97. 
Upon the first route it was impossible to estimate what it would cost 
without knowing what earth would be found. Upon the last surveyed 
route there is no uncertainty about it, for it is almost an entire plain. 
The same remarks hold good in relation to the proposed change at 
Washingtonville. 

The first estimate was $27,623 20, the last is only $15,377 58, a 
saving of $12,145 62, Saving in both changes $37,715 45. 

The road is let from New Lisbon to the Ohio and Pennsylvania 
Road, to Messrs. Britton, who began work on the 13th day of August, 
and have progressed from that time until the present successfully, and 
have performed a large amount of work for the number of hands em¬ 
ployed. We have the utmost confidence in their ability to perform 
the work. The estimates of their work from the 13th of August to the 
1st of January is $7,317 16. 

They have performed more than double the amount of work they 
were required to do in the time, yet the whole amount has been 
promptly paid by the Stockholders at New Lisbon, under the efficient 
management of Director McClymonds, and from present prospects, 
that section from New Lisbon to the Ohio and Pennsylvania Road, a 
distance of ten miles, will probably all be graded before our next an¬ 
nual meeting. 

The Road is also let from the Ohio & Pennsylvania Road to the 
centre of Austintown, to 0. Baldwin & Co., and they have commenced 
work at Washingtonville with a small force, and from the character of 
the earth, they have been able to progress with great success, and by 
making the proposed change we are now able to progress with the 
whole distance to the centre of Canfield, which will be immediately 
begun, unless the winter is unfavorable for work, and we have strong 
confidence that the road from New Lisbon to the center of Canfield 
will all be graded during the present year. 

The right of way from New Lisbon to the Ohio & Pennsylvania 
Road has all been obtained, except three or four farms, and in almost 


5 


every instance has been given without pay. All that has been agreed 
to be paid is about seven hundred dollars. 

A very considerable portion also has been obtained from Niles, 
South to the Ohio & Pennsylvania Road on fair terms. We think we 
can safely say from what has already been done upon this branch of 
the business, our road will compare favorably with any other road in 
Ohio. 

From Austintown to Niles the contract to let the work is not 
fully completed. At our last annual meeting our expectation was to 
let that portion first, and immediately begin the work and prosecute it 
to completion, and commence business upon it; but upon further re¬ 
flection we changed our policy, and deferred that portion for the year, 
to let business and capital be a little more developed, which is fast 
being done. 

The progress of the work North and South of Niles, and in that 
immediate neighborhood together with the additional uses that are 
being made of coal and ore upon the ground, must, from the nature of 
business, in the course of the coming year, bring a large number of 
people and amount of business capital upon the immediate line of the 
road, to be there employed and expended in the erection of furnaces, 
opening of coal banks, and all that appertains to it,will grade that sec¬ 
tion of the road the coming year in all probability. 

Messrs. Porter & Co. now have an extensive and very commodious 
coal opening, and are making extensive preparations for the erection 
of a large furnace early in the coming spring upon the immediate line 
of the road. 

Your Directors, in the month of October last, procured the services 
of Prof. Newberry, an eminent geologist from Washington City, of 
great skill and science in his profession, and in no way connected 
with our road, to make a geological survey of the road from Niles to 
the Ohio River. 

Earlier in October than Mr. Newberry came upon the road, we 
were informed by a wealthy and reliable individual, that as soon as 
we would extend our charter from New Lisbon to the Ohio River, 
there were individuals (giving names) who stood ready to furnish all 
the means necessary to grade the road and prepare it for the iron 
from New Lisbon to the river. We had Mr. Newberry prosecute his 
examination to the river, and his report is here appended, and made 
a part of our report, and with this geological report it is unnecessary 
to say more about the minerals upon the road, than that no other road 
in the State of Ohio, or elsewhere, for a distance of fifty miles, one 
half its whole length, does more richly abound in highly valuable min¬ 
erals. Indeed, in addition to the mineral resources, the whole line of 
the road from Ashtabula to New Lisbon, passes through a highly cul¬ 
tivated country, rich in agricultural products. The county of Ashta¬ 
bula is the greatest dairy county in the State. They have not hereto¬ 
fore turned their attention much to the raising of grain. 

Columbiana county is among the best grain growing counties in the 
State, and the people from the lake counties, for years past, have been 
in the habit of drawing large quantities of grain from there over our 


V 


6 

mud roads, and this will continue, as it is more profitable for the peo¬ 
ple of Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties to graze their lands, 
rather than raise grain. The counties of Trumbull and Mahoning are 
large producing counties, and abound with cattle, sheep and hogs, 
equal or nearly so, to any in the State. 

There has been expended in work upon the North Section of our 
road from the lake to Bristol, the past year, fifty-three thousand sev¬ 
en hundred and eighty-one dollars. 

The country north of Niles is entirely destitute of coal, lime, and 
hydraulic cement, and, to a great extent, of building stone. The 
Southern part of our line abounds in great abundance in these articles 
and of the best quality, and their use is greatly increasing every year. 

All the Railroads leading into Cincinnati are not able to bring coal 
into that market and furnish it at a reasonable price. So great was 
the demand for it above the supply, that in the month of November 
last, it rose to ninety cents a bushel. 

This may be said to be owing to low water in the river, but the same 
difficulty exists nearly every year, for our streams are diminishing as 
the timber is being used up. Yet in view of these facts, Railroads 
as yet, to a great extent, are not able to keep the markets fully sup¬ 
plied at a fair price. Coal can be furnished and pay well, cheaper 
than wood, costing nothing standing in the forest. 

Coal lands in this country are not so abundant as ever to become of 
small value, but on the contrary will be increasing and will be worked. 
Coal is to be the great article of fuel. We are fast reaching that pe¬ 
riod. 

In a country where fuel is abundant and cheap, and ores of the best 
quality abound in the same neighborhood, there will the manufacturing 
of iron be done. We claim these two elements in the manufactur¬ 
ing of iron abound upon the line of our road. It is one great point to 
bring out and develop this fact. 

Lake Superior will never be a great manufacturing country. It does 
not combine the elements to support a dense population. The winters 
are too long and severe, and fuel will cost too much, and their ores are 
not as various and easy of access and well adapted to the manufacture 
of all varieties of iron, as they are in this country. 

In Connecticut and Massachusetts, where the best wrought tire bars 
and Railroad iron and car wheels are manufactured, they are fast run¬ 
ning out of fuel, and it will cost too much to obtain it. They have 
heretofore used charcoal. 

In a short time they must turn their attention to the manufacturing 
of anthracite iron, and we of the West must manufacture all the vari¬ 
eties of iron used upon Rail Roads, and in the construction of their 
cars. 

It is said there has been no ores yet discovered in the West that 
will make car wheels. That these ores do here exist we cannot for a 
moment doubt, and they must be found and used. We think we have 
them upon the line of our road, and all that is wanting is capitalists to 
use them. 

Heretofore we have not been able to compete successfully with Eu 


7 


rope for want of capital, skill, and cheap labor, in the manufacture o 
iron. 

We have overcome the advantages they had over us in these partic¬ 
ulars. We have all the raw materials that go to make up the composi¬ 
tion of metals as abundant and good as they. 

We have not that dense population, which are compelled, in order 
to obtain a livelihood, to explore every acre and analyse every rock 
and pebble to discover their hidden treasures; but once discover the 
rich ore, and we have the energy and the capital to penetrate every 
granite rock, and mould it to the uses of man, and transport it upon 
the channels of commerce. 

Let each one of us use all fair means to bring the public attention 
to the resources that exist upon the line of our road, and cannot now 
be advantageously used without it, and the road can then be speedily 
built. 

The question is often asked, will this road ever be built ? This is 
as certain as any event that is not now accomplished. We have already 
expended upon it eighty thousand dollars, and have made contracts 
that amount to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, in which the 
contractors are bound to work no faster than we can pay, and we have 
paid for all that is done, except a few thousand, which is provided for 
and will be paid in a few days. 

We have now stock and land enough to grade sixty miles out of the 
eighty-five. More than twenty miles are now graded. The right of 
way is obtained for more than half the distance of the whole road;— 
and will any say, because we have not funds enough on hand to finish 
the whole, it will never be accomplished? 

What road ever had in its early commencement funds enough to fin¬ 
ish ? I say unhesitatingly, not one. Or what association, or corpora¬ 
tion, to build a church or college, or perform any other enterprise of 
a public character, ever had funds at the beginning, or in its early 
history, to complete its undertaking? Very few, indeed, if any. 

How few individuals, when they undertake a new enterprise, have 
funds to complete it; or how few farmers, when they undertake to 
build a house, have funds to complete it. No, it is not the way such 
things are accomplished. 

Public enterprises are carried on and accomplished by creating 
public confidence, and enlisting public energy by individual enterprise. 
A prosperous and influential individual can scarcely tell you how he 
increases his possessions and influence from year to year. It is by a 
uniform and consistent forward course, and constant exertions. So 
with a Rail Road correctly carried on. Every mile graded adds to 
the probability that another will be. 

Too great anxiety to press a road too rapidly forward by borrowing 
money, regardless of the domestic reputation it has, is bad policy. 
The time the road shall be completed and ready for the iron is not so 
i mportant as that it should then have a reputation and be entirely out 
of debt, and then there will be no more difficulty in equipping it, by 
buying the iron on time, than for a successful business man to buy 
goods on time. 


8 


We wish this fact more than any other fully fixed in the mind of 
each stockholder, and also the farther important fact, that this road 
must be built by the stockholders, and not by your Directors pledging 
their individual responsibility for borrowed money, or in any other 
way Another fact is our fixed policy, not to encumber your road by 
any pledging of it until w^e are prepared to set it running, or portions 
of it. 

Our road does not now owe but $3,000, except as above stated, bor¬ 
rowed on a mortgage of a piece of land, in order to give us an oppor¬ 
tunity to sell when land is in better demand than this year. As we 
have heretofore said, we are substantially and prosperously at work 
on both ends of our road, with a full and fixed determination never to 
suspend work until it is all finished. 

After our last annual meeting, until the middle of April, very little 
business could be successfully done, owing to deep snows and severe 
cold weather, either in work upon the road or in obtaining stock. 

Since then our time has been taken up in locating the road, obtain¬ 
ing the right of way, and new stock in those locations where we wished 
to begin the work, and in prosecuting it. 

We have obtained in New Lisbon sixteen thousand dollars in new 
stock, and in Canfield six thousand dollars, and north of Bristol eight 
thousand dollars. 

We have now in available unexpended stocks, lands, and other 
assets, on the north division of the road, $127,677, and on the south¬ 
ern, $121,461. 

All of which is respectfully submitted. 

EBEN NEWTON, 
President of the Company 


REPORT OF THE ENGINEER. 


To the President and Directors of the Ashtabula and New Lisbon 

Rail Road Company. 

Gentlemen : By your directions I commenced a permanent location 
of your road in the Spring of 1854, from Ashtabula Harbor south to 
the Clinton Line Bail Boad, in Bristol, Trumbull county, a distance of 
36 miles. In September following, the work was let to 0. Baldwin & 
Co., of Pennsylvania. In November following, the work was com¬ 
menced and prosecuted to a limited extent, until May following, when 
a suspension took place till October, 1855; when the work was re¬ 
sumed and pushed forward quite rapidly to January, 1857. Nearly or 
quite 18 miles are graded, ready for the superstructure, including 
about three-fifths of the heavy work from the Cleveland, Painesville 
& Ashtabula Bail Boad south. The two heavy sections near the Lake 
are not in quite as forward a state as those south, but can be finished 
in six months, with a little extra exertion. From Bristol to Warren 
we shall probably locate on or near the preliminary survey, which is 
sufficiently accurate and reliable for the following table of grades and 
curvatures. 

In going south from the Lake, our grades are necessarily heavier 
than coming north from New Lisbon. 


Distance from the Lake to Warren, - - - 47.30 miles. 

Straight Line, - 41.12 

Curved Line, viz: 

Via 11,460 feet radius.4.37 

“ 5,730 “ 40 

“ 2,644 “ 24 

“ 1,910 “ 41 

“ 1,432 “ 43 

« 915 “ “. 15 

“ 716 “ “. 18 47.30 “ 


The two last curvatures occur at the Depot grounds at the Lake on 
a level grade. 


10 


Grade going North from Warren to the Lake. 


Level grade, ------- 16.32 miles. 

“ to 5 feet per mile, ----- 2.61 

5 to 15 “ “ “.2.31 “ 

15 to 21 “ “ “.1-18 

21 to 26.4 “ “ “.2.12 

26.4 to 31:7 “ “ “.2.40 “ 

Descending grade from Warren to Lake, - 19.76 


Total distance, ------ 

Longest continuous grade of 31.7 feet, 

Elevation above Lake Erie. 

Plymouth Ridge in Saybrook, - - - - 

Clinton Line Rail Road Crossing, - - - - 

Cleveland & Mahoning Rail Road Crossing, 

Niles, --------- 

Canfield, - -- -- -- - 

Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Rail Road Crossing, 
New Lisbon, ------- 


Distances. 

Ashtabula Harbor to Plymouth Ridge, 

Plymouth Ridge to C. L. R. R. Crossing, 

C. L. R. R. Crossing to C. & M. R. R. Crossing, - 

C. & M. R. R. Crossing to Niles, - 

Niles to Canfield, ------ 

Canfield to P., Ft. W. & C. R. R. Crossing, - 
P., Ft. W. & C. R. R. Crossing to New Lisbon, - 


Making a total distance of 


47.30 “ 

1.21 “ 


287 Feet 
353 “ 

338 “ 

300 “ 

585 “ 

440 “ 

393 “ 


8.3 miles. 
27.7 “ 

11.3 “ 

4.0 “ 

12.6 « 
11.0 “ 
9.7 “ 


84.6 " 


In April last, by your order, I commenced the location of the south¬ 
ern portion of your road from Niles to New Lisbon. In June that 
portion from Niles to the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Rail Road 
was let to Messrs. Baldwin, Williams & Haskell, of Penna., and 
the remaining part to New Lisbon to Messrs. Britton’s, of Cleveland. 
Soon after crossing the Mahoning River at Niles, we reach the Coal 
Fields of south eastern Ohio, and for a distance of thirty miles, we 
traverse the best mineral region in the State. Our line is necessarily 
more circuitous than on the northern portion, as the surface is more 
broken and uneven; still our grades will not exceed 31.7 feet per 
mile on any part of the road going north from New Lisbon to the 
Lake. 

That portion of the line from Bristol to Niles is left for future con¬ 
sideration, and can at any time be built as cheap and with as easy 
grades and curvatures as will favorably compare with any portion of 
the road. 




11 


Distance from Niles to New Lisbon, 

Straight line,. 

Curved line, viz : 

Via 5,730 feet radius, - 

“ 2,865 “ . 

“ 1,910 “ . 

“ 1,432 “ . 

“ 1,146 “ . 

“ 955 “ . 

The two last mentioned curves are on the New 
on a level grade. 


- 33.33 miles. 
26.53 


1.30 


78 

62 


< i 

a 

u 


71 

- 42 33.33 “ 

Lisbon Depot grounds, 


Grades going North from New Lisbon to Niles. 

Level grade, - . - - . . . . . 7.56 miles 

to 10.5 feet per mile, ..... 1.52 “ 

10.5 to 17.6 “ “ “.1.08 “ 

17.6 to 26.4 “ “ “.2.86 “ 

26.4 to 31.7 “ “ “. 9.47 “ 

Descending grade going north, ..... 10.84 “ 

Total distance, ...... 33.33 “ 

Total length of the road from the Lake to New Lisbon, - 84.63 “ 

Straight line 84 per cent, or ... 71.65 “ 

Curved line 16 “ “ “ - - - 12.98 84.63 “ 


Of the curved line 33 per cent, is with a radius of 11,460 ft., which 
for all practical purposes is nearly equivalent to a straight line. 

On the Northern portion we shall be under the necessity of build¬ 
ing structures of timber where masonry is required. At Niles, and 
South from there, good substantial masonry of the first class will be 
required, by the terms of the several contracts. 

In the location of the road last spring from Canfield to the P. F. 
W. & C. Rail Road, we were confined to a point in the township of 
Greene, and also to a point on the P. F. W. & C. Rail Road, to secure 
a certain amount of subscription to the capital stock of the Company. 
Since then those objections have been obviated, and we have made a 
new location, by which we reduce the total estimates (before stated) 
$37,715 45, and our grades nearly 25 per cent. At the same time 
we increase our distance 1024 feet, and our curves 10 per cent, of 
2865 feet radius. I believe the more favorable grades on the new line 
will counterbalance the increased curvatures, leaving the sum of 
$37,715 45 to offset the increased distance of 1024 feet. 

Work was commenced at New Lisbon the last of August, and pros¬ 
ecuted steadily to date, and will be continued during the winter. 

In November the work was commenced at Washingtonville and will 
be carried forward to a limited extent during the present winter, and 
in the course of a few weeks we expect to break ground at Canfield. 

The Directors have adopted the only true and safe policy, of driving 
the work ahead as fast as they can meet the monthly estimates with 
their own means, without resorting to the ruinous mode of hiring 
money at 10 to 20 per cent. 



V 


12 

I have the utmost confidence in the several contractors, that they 
will perform their engagements with the company, as they are expe¬ 
rienced men—have for many years been engaged on Public Works in 
the Eastern States, and have a high reputation as contractors. 

In conclusion I would remark, the Company were fortunate in se¬ 
curing the services of J. Gr. Chamberlain Esq., my principal assist¬ 
ant, to whom I am under many obligations for the faithful and prompt 
manner in which he has discharged all the duties pertaining to him, 
and to all others engaged in the Engineering department, my thanks 
are due for the faithful manner in which they have performed their 
several duties. 

Respectfully submitted, 

WILLIAM HALE, Chief Engineer. 
Engineer’s Office, Ashtabula, Jan. 1, 1857. 


REPORT 

On the Economical Geology of the Route of the Ashtabula and New 
Lisbon Rail Road, by J. S. Newberry, M. 1 )., Prof, of Geology 
and Natural History, in Columbia College, Washington, J). C. ; 
made Nov. 1 , 1856. 


HON. EBEN NEWTON 9 

Pres’t. A. & N. L. R. II. 

Sir : In compliance with your request, I have made a some¬ 
what careful examination of the country traversed by your 
road, with special reference to its mineral resources; and have 
submitted a series of its useful minerals to such chemical tests 
as would, in some degree, determine their value. 

In the application of these tesls, through the kindness of 
Prof. Henry, I have been permitted to avail myself of the varied 
appliances of the Smithsonian Laboratory. 

The results of my observations and experiments I beg leave to 
submit in the following report; trusting that it may be the 
means of hastening the time when the immense resources of 
the region I have visited, shall be more fully appreciated and 
developed. Very Respectfully, 

Your obkfit Servt, 

JOHN S. NEWBERRY. 

Washington, D. C., Dec. 25, 1856. 


Character of the Surface. 

The Agricultural capabilities of the entire region lying be¬ 
tween the Lake and the Ohio, on the line ot the A. N. L. R. R. 
are of the first class. Nearly every portion of it is already 
occupied by a dense and wealthy population, and is in a high 




V 


14 

state of cultivation; the price of farming lands varying from 
thirty to seventy-five dollars per acre. 

Here, as elsewhere, the character of the soil is determined by 
the nature of the geological sub-strata from which it has been 
derived ; and as the number and character of the manufacturing 
establishments of a country are directly dependent on the min¬ 
eral character of its rocky basis, no less directly are the nature 
and success of the system of agriculture pursued dependent on 
the same cause. The different departments of industry resting 
on this common foundation, the numbers, the avocations, the 
wealth, and, we may almost say, the manners and morals of the 
inhabitants of a district, are determined by its geological struc¬ 
ture. 

The shore of Lake Erie, in the greater part of the Western Re¬ 
serve, is formed of the equivalents of the Hamilton, Portage and 
Chemung groups of the New York geologists. The first and 
lowest consists of dark bituminous shales with little admixture 
of silicious matter; the others, of a series of fine-grained sand¬ 
stones and bluish argillaceous shales. These strata have offered 
little resistance to the powerful denuding action to which the 
whole surface of the northern part of Ohio has been subjected ; 
as a consequence, they have been extensively but uniformly 
eroded, and the detritus carried over by a northern current and 
deposited in thick beds of bluish clay on the conglomerate and 
sandstones of the coal measures. The surface left bv this 
process, though not entirely level, presents few great inequalities, 
and the soil having the composition of the parent rocks, is highly 
argillaceous. It is inclined to be cold and wet.: was originally 
occupied by a forest of beech, maple, elm, ash, linden, popla r 
and hickory, and is agriculturally peculiarly adapted to grazing. 
This, and no preference of its inhabitants, has made the Western 
Reserve the dairy ot the west. Happily this soil, somewhat dif¬ 
ficult of subjugation, and not especially attractive to the immi¬ 
grant, fell into good hands,—hands which have by industry and 
intelligence, made it yield more certain and larger returns than 
are derived from any other equal portion of the State. 


15 


In north-eastern Ohio, except where covered by out-Iiers 
of the carboniferous conglomerate, these argillaceous rocks ex- 
tend nearly forty miles southward, when we rise on to the hills 
of the coal series. The northern slope of these hills is, as I 
have said, covered with drift, which has given a mixed character 
to the agriculture of the region, and has made drovers and dairy¬ 
men of a large part of the farmers of Wethersfield, Austintown 
and Canfield on the line of the A. & N. L. R. R. South of this 
point the drift influence becomes less apparent,—-the landscape is 
marked by the graceful curves of the rounded hills characteristic 
of the coal region—the air is pure and salubrious, the water gush¬ 
ing from every hill side, clear and sparkling, in perennial springs, 
soft or hard, as it is above or below some band of limestone. 
The forest is composed of white, black and red oak, with here 
and there a poplar and black-walnut, and, on the sandy ridges, 
the chestnut, which shuns the clay. The farmers are grain- 
growers, and Columbiana unites with Stark and Wayne to form 
the centre of the great wheat-producing district of the State. 

As vve approach the Ohio, we find the water courses cutting 
deep down into the original plateau of the coal strata, opening 
all their riches in sections of two anl even three hundred feet. 
Between the streams the country is not broken but rolling, and 
when I visited it, was everywhere covered with the vivid verdure 
of the springing grain. 

By a peculiar provision of nature, these lands, though so 
deeply furrowed by the draining valleys, are generally well 
watered by copious and perpetual springs. Each hill contains 
one or more seams of coal running through it horizontally, or 
nearly so, and under every coal seam is a bed of potter’s clay. 
This clay, impervious to water, bears on its surface the falling 
showers which have percolated through the porous strata 
above, and distributes them at its out-cropping edge in never fail¬ 
ing springs. These springs serve the double purpose to point 
out the position of valuable minerals, and to irrigate the land 
below. The soil produced by the decomposition of limestone, 




10 

sandstone, clay and coal, possesses great fertility even to the hill 
tops. 


Geology. 

NORTHERN DIVISION—ASHTABULA TO NILES. 

The geology of the country along the line of the Rail Road, 
from the lake shore, forty miles southward, has already been 
alluded to. It contains few valuable minerals, and as I had for¬ 
merly traversed nearly all of it, I did not think it advisable to 
go over the ground a second time. 

PORTAGE AND CHEMUNG GROUPS. 

The shore of the Lake, at Ashtabula, is composed of black 
shales, the prolongation of those underlying the Chemung and 
Portage Groups of New York. Beneath this rock, at the depth 
of from 299 to 390 feet below the Lake level, would be found 
the white limestone of Sandusky; at too great a depth to beat 
present available. 

The Portage Sandstone affords in some localities a very fair 
building stone, and frequently furnishes an excellent material 
for grindstones. Along the line of the A. & N. L. R. R., it is 
nearly destitute of fossils. 

The Chemung Group consists of alternations of bluish, argil¬ 
laceous shales, with thinbands of fine-grained, bluish sandstone. 
This sandstone will sometimes furnish a good grindstone grit, 
but generally the layers are too thin to make good building 
stone, and contain protoxide of iron, which becoming peroxidized 
by exposure, injures both its color and texture. 

The upper part of this formation contains bands of fine sand¬ 
stone which is very refractory, and forms an excellent material 
for the construction of coke ovens, and for similar purposes, 
where the wall is to be exposed to great heat. The fossils of 
this group, though found in some localities, are not abundant. 
The most characteristic are a Lingula , Orhicida , and Conularia, 
yet undescribed, which frequently oc:ur together. 


17 


The Mahoning at Niles has cut through the overlying strata, 
and the bed of the stream is excavated in the Chemung Group, 
As this is below all beds of coal, the boring which has been car¬ 
ried to the depth of 150 feet in the trough of the river, has, of 
course, not resulted in the discovery of any workable bed. 

Lenticular masses of iron ore of great purity are frequently 
intercalated among the beds ot shale and sandstone forming the 
Portage and Chemung Groups, but, usually, in too small quanti¬ 
ties to be of great practical value. Still, the erosion of the 
strata by the streams running over them has, in some localities, 
exposed a sufficient quantity to be worth collecting. 

CONGLOMERATE. 

Passing south-west from Ashtabula, in the vicinity of Niles, 
Trumbull county, at an altitude of about 280 feet above Lake 
Erie, we strike the Carboniferous Conglomerate which lies at 
the base of the productive coal measures. This is a coarse, yel¬ 
lowish sand-rock, not readily distinguishable by its color or 
consistence from some of the sandstones of the coal series 
above, except that it contains, generally in great abundance, 
always in considerable numbers, quartz pebbles—rolled and 
rounded fragments of massive quartz, from the size of a pea to 
that of an egg, which serve to identify the rock wherever found, 
and to distinguish it from all similar sandstones lying above it. 

The importance of this character will be readily appreciated 
when it is remembered that this pebble-rock lies at the base of 
the coal series, and no workable vein of coal is found in, or below 
it, in the State of Ohio. A knowledge of this fact would have 
prevented the expenditure of much labor and money in march¬ 
ing for coal below this rock. As will be seen in a subsequent 
part of this report, high up in the coal series, and above several 
seams of coal, a second conglomerate occurs, but in it the peb¬ 
bles are comparatively small, not generally exceeding the ^ize 
of a grain of wheat. 

The fossils of the Conglomerate are plants, ( Calamites , Lepi- 
dodcndra,Trigonocarpa , §c.) The thickness of this rock in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the State varies fro in 25 to 250 feet, being thick- 



18 


est in Portage and Geauga counties, and thinning out toward 
the Ohio river. It is thinner also in Mahoning county than either 
west or east, being less than 100 feet in thickness. The Con¬ 
glomerate furnishes a massive and durable building stone, though 
less hard and homogeneous than some ol the excellent freestones 
found further south. It is used in the foundations of the C. & 
M. R. R. bridge at Niles, and as a silicious flux in the iron works 
at the same place. It is found on both sides of the Mahoning 
at Niles, but removed by the excavation of the valley from the 
immediate vicinity of the stream. South of the Mahoning it 
dips rapidly southward, and disappears beneath the hills of the 
coal measures, emerging again on the opposite side of the coal 
basin in Virginia. 

MIDDLE DIVISION—NILES TO NEW LISBON. 

THE COAL MEASURES. 

In crossing the Mahoning at Niles,the Rail Road passes from a 
region agriculturally rich, but nearly destitute of valuable miner¬ 
als, into a district uniting to great agricultural resources an 
amount of mineral wealth unsurpassed, if, indeed, it is equalled 
by that of any other portion of our favored country ; and which, 
if properly developed, must sustain and enrich a large popula¬ 
tion, and give to your Road a permanent and profitable business. 

WETHERSFIELD, AUSTINTOWN, CANFIELD. 

COAL SEAM NO. I.-“ BRIAR HILL COAL.” 

At a somewhat \aiiable distance above the conglomerate but 
generally within 50 feet, we find the first or lowest bed of coal, 
which, from its peculiar qualities and its proximity to the lake 
market, is, perhaps, the most important and valuable of the se¬ 
ries. This seam of coal is traceable throughout nearly the entire 
line of outcrop of the coal basin in Ohio, and has every¬ 
where certain characteristics which distinguish it from all others, 
though possessing them in a pre-eminent degree in the Mahon¬ 
ing Valley in the vicinity of the line of the A. & N. L. R. R. 

This stratum is worked at Tallmadge, in Summit county, at 


19 


Clinton and Massilon, Stark county, in the vicinity of Sharon, 
Pa., and still more extensively in the Mahoning Valley—where 
it is known as the “ Briar Hill” or “ Mahoning Valley” coal— 
and from whence it has been largely exported to Cleveland, 
commanding the highest price of any coal sold in that market. 

The value of the Mahoning Valley coal is dependent on both 
its physical and chemical characters. It may be thus described : 

Specimens from Youngstown and Mt. Nebo, remarkably com¬ 
pact, coming from the mine in large tabular masses, and 
bearing transportation well. Color dull bluish black in the mass, 
freshly broken surface of a brilliant resinous lustre; fracture 
•splintery and rough. 


CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, 

Fixed Carbon, - 61.244 

Bitumen, - 35.966 

Ashes, - ... 2.790 

Specific Gravity, 1.2695 

Coke, 64.034 per cent.; hard and bright, retaining to some 
extent the form of the coal. Ash light yellow, aluminous; 
contains very little iron ; will not readily clinker. This coal 
yields 3^- cubic feet good gas per pound. 

This enjoys the honor of being the only western coal as yet 
successfully employed, in the raw state, in the reduction of iron 
by means of the hot blast; and many thousands of tons of iron 
are annually manufactured through its agency by this process. 

Aside from the manufacture of metals, to which this coal is 
peculiarly adapted, it answers well for the generation of steam, 
especially where the draft is not strong ; its open-burning quality 
giving free passage to the air, and preventing the clogging of the 
grates. It is therefore preferred as a steam coal on the lakes to 
any other variety. Where the draft is strong a more adhesive 
coal will be found more economical, and should be used; such 
coals are universally preferred on the Ohio. 

The quantity of Mahoning Valley coal sold in the Cl eve- 



V 


20 

land market, may be safely estimated at 100,000 tons per annum, 
and the average price by the cargo at $4 per ton. 

The average thickness of this coal seam is 4J feet, but it is 
liable to considerable variation. It lies in basins of greater or 
less extent, the coal being thickest and best in the bottom of the 
basin, and at the edges thinning out and sometimes entirely dis¬ 
appearing. It should make its first appearance on the line of the 
Rail Road in the hills south of Niles, and at a less elevation than 
the u Shaft Coal,” though in that vicinity it has not yet been 
found and may be wanting. It has been opened in the bed of the 
Meander on the farm of Mr. John Ewing, in the corner 
of Ellsworth, being there of good thickness and excellent 
quality, and may perhaps be found over a large area in that 
vicinity. 

The disturbances which the rocks of Mahoning county have 
suffered; the extreme and sudden changes of level, thickness and 
character which the strata exhibit, with the few exposures of the 
geology which are offered by a rolling and nearly unbroken sur¬ 
face, rendered it impossible, in the time at my command, to 
determine with certainty all the local details of geological 
structure. 

The coal lies in detatched basins, each of which possesses peculi¬ 
arities which are not shared by the others. The limits and struc¬ 
ture of these basins can only be determined by patient and careful 
study. The series of strata, which I have given, will serve as a 
general guide, but in the explorations of the deposits of coal, in the 
construction of the Rail Road, facts will doubtless be brought to 
light, which will require additions and modifications to be made 
to the section which I have constructed. South of Canfield the 
strata are less disturbed, and the geology of the country trav¬ 
ersed by the Rail Road is fully exposed in the gorges of the 
streams. 

Those more immediately interested in the geology of Mahon¬ 
ing county will find some of its problems discussed more at 
length in the Appendix. 


•* 


21 


give— 

NO. It. LOWER PART. 

58.10 
36.70 
5.20 

Coke per cent., 60.50 63.30 

retaining form of coal, hard and bright. 

Ash. aluminous. Ash silicious. 

Gas c. ft. per lb., 3f 3^ 

Lying upon coal No. 1 is a bed of shale, usually blue, or cream- 
colored, but sometimes nearly black, of from 20 to 30 feet in 
thickness. The lower part of this shale bed is filled with the 
impressions of plants, some of which are peculiar to the 
coal seam on which they repose, and are found no where else. 
Of these the most charcteristic are Wkittleseya clegans , >S 'phenop- 
leris Lesquereuxii, Sph. Kirtlandiana, Sph. simplex, Sph. parvifolia , 
Sph . unciaata , Alethopteris grandifolia. Neuroptcris lancifera, and 
several other plants heretofore described by me as peculiar to 
the lowest coal seam in Ohio. It contains also a great abun¬ 
dance of Alethopteris lonchitidis , Pecoptcris plumosa, and several 
other well known European species. The lower portion of this 
shale bed also includes nodules of kidney ore, each of which 
sometimes contains a fern-frond as a nucleus about which it has 
formed. This ore is of good quality, and in some localities may 
be sufficiently rich to pay for working. 

SANDSTONE NO. I. 

Upon the shale last described rests a yellowish sandstone, 
which, along the line of the Rail Road in Wethersfield, Austin- 
town, and Canfield, is from 30 to 40 feet in thickness, and is 
generally in thin layers. To the westward, as at Tallmadge, 
Clinton, and Massilon, it becomes very thick and massive, and is 
one of the most prominent geological landmarks. This rock 
makes its last appearance in Saw Mill Run in Canfield, and the 
“ Briar Hill” or “ Block” coal may be sought by boring below it. 
South of this point it dips under the overlying strata and disap¬ 
pears. 


Two analyses of Ewing’s coal 

NO. I.-UPPER PART. 

Fixed Carbon, - - 58.14 

Bitumen, - - - 39.50 

Ashes,.2.36 





V 


/ 


22 

COAL SEAM NO. II.-“ BLACK BAND VEIN.” 

Upon the sandstone last mentioned, with an intervening stra¬ 
tum of blue shale of variable thickness, but probably not over 
from 10 to 15 feet, lies a collocation of minerals which, from their 
proximity and individual value, demand special notice. It should 
be premised, however, that these deposits are not equally de¬ 
veloped in different localities, but by a system of compensation, 
often brought to the notice of the geologist, where the iron is 


richest the coal is least valuable, and 

vice 

versa. 


This group consists of— 


ft. 

in. 


ft. 

Iron ore, - 

- 

0 

6 

to 

1 

Limestone, - 

- 

0 

0 

to 

3 

Shale, - 

- 




10 

Coal, - 

- 

2 


to 

3 

Black-band ore, 

- 

0 

8 

to 

2 

Coal, ... 

- 

0 

4 

to 

1 

Fire clay—to the shale before mentioned. 




The “ Black-band vein,” with its associated strata, is exposed 
in many places in the townships of Wethersfield, Austintown, 
Canfield, Ellsworth and Jackson, but all the members of the 
group are found to exhibit somewhat varied characters in differ¬ 
ent localities. 

At the “ S>haft Mine ,” (Rice, French & Co’s,) within two miles 
of Niles—and the most northerly point where this stratum is 
worked—the limestone is so argillaceous in its character that it 
scarcely deserves the name of limestone ; the ore associated 
with it is in kidney-shaped or botryoidal masses, very pure, but 
in small quantity. The coal is 3 feet 2 inches thick, very black 
and brilliant, and among the handsomest varieties of coal I have 
ever seen. A description of this coal taken from my note book, 
is as follows : 

“ Shaft Coal” —(Rice, French & Co., Wethersfield.) Physical 
character. Hardness medium; color brilliant jet black,with a high¬ 
ly resinous lustre; fracture of some portions tangled and splintery, 
of others cubical with smooth surfaces ; works large and con¬ 
tains but a moderate amount of sulphuret of iron, which occurs 


23 


in masses, and may be mined out, leaving the coal very free 
from this impurity. 


CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. 


Var. A. Var. B. 

Fixed Carbon, 57.10 52.12 

Bitumen, 38 80 44.19 

Ashes, 4.10 3.69 


Per ct. coke, 61.20 55.81 

Specific gravity, 1.297 1.283 

C. ft. gas per lb., 3f 4£ 


The coke is highly cellular, but tolerably bright and hard. 
The gas is good. The ashes are light yellowish brown, alu¬ 
minous, and will make but little clinker. 

This is evidently one of the most valuable coals in the coun¬ 
try. It is peculiarly bright and handsome, bears transportation 
well, and will serve the common purposes of coal in generating 
steam and as a household fuel. If properly mined and sorted, 
it may be coked and applied to the reduction and manufacture 
of iron, and the purer portions to the manufacture of gas. 

At the “ Shaft Mine” the coal is divided into two parts, the 
upper being 2 feet 10 inches, and the lower 4 inches in thick¬ 
ness. Between them is the 

BLACK-BAND ORE. 

This stratum of ore at the “ Shaft Mine” is about eight inches 
in thickness, and is mined with the coal. It is of excellent 
quality, and from its proximity to the coal and to the market, is 
of great value. It contains a large amount of bituminous mat¬ 
ter, which, when burned off, leaves the ore very rich, and in the 
furnace, when used raw, diminishes very sensibly the quantity 
of fuel necessary for its reduction. The specimens which I took 
from the Shaft Mine contain 27 to 30 per cent, metallic iron. (See 
letter of J. Ward & Co., in Appendix.) 

This stratum of ore contains, as characteristic fossils, Posid- 
which I have noticed wherever I have examined it. 


onomyoe , 




24 


These are in some instances so numerous as to cover the 
surfaces of the laminae. 

As we go toward the south from the Shaft Mine along the line 
of the Rail Road, we find the “ Black-band coal vein,” opened in 
several localities ; appearing last in “ Saw Mill Run” in Can- 
field. Thence southward it is covered and concealed by the 
overlying rocks. 

Along the western base of “Mineral ridge”—which is formed 
by a thick bed of sandstone overlying the group just described— 
this seam is extensively worked 

James Ward Co. have an excellent opening, from which 
they are taking large quantities of ore and coal to their lurnace 
and rolling mill. (See Appendix.) 

Morris' Bank is the next, and is also largely worked. Here, 
as at J. W. & Co.’s mine, the coal has much the same character 
as at the Shaft, and analyses of hand specimens would probably 
indicate no appreciable difference. On the whole, however, it is 
somewhat less compact and contains more bi-sulphuret of iron. 

Still farther south, in Austintown, this “vein” is also exten¬ 
sively worked by Mr. S. Ohl , Wm. Porter , Esq., &c. 

At Porter’s mine, as in most other localities which I examined, 
(Shaft, J. Ward & Co.’s, Ripple’s, and Danl. Beardsley’s, in Ells¬ 
worth, and Curtis Beardsley’s in Canfield,) the Black-band 
coal vein is divided into two parts, the Black-band ore lying 


between them. 

A section at Porter’s. 

, including 

both portions, 

js as follows : 






Coal, 

_ 

- 

- 

3 feet 

0 inches. 

Black-band, 

good, 

- 

- 

1 “ 


do 

poor, 

- 

- 

0 

8 “ 

do 

good, 

- 

- 

0 

8 

Coal, 

- 

- 

- 

1 “ 



The Coal .—The upper bench is a bright handsome coal, a 
large portion of which consists of layers of cannel, interstrati- 
fied with those of brilliant bitumen. Its chemical composition 
is as follows: 


25 


Fixed carbon, - - 50.983 

Bitumen, - - - 43.317 

Ash., • - - - 5.700 

Coke 56.683 per cent., bright but rather soft; Ash reddish, 
brown; contains some silex and iron, and will form clinker to 
some extent. 

The amount of gas produced is 4J cubic feet per lb, but re¬ 
quires considerable purification. 

This coal burns freely and is well adapte 1 to all common pur¬ 
poses, but in its raw state is not suitable for making iron. 

Below the black band a stratum of coal is found, about 12 
inches in thickness of superior quality. It is a very hard and 
homogeneous, having very much the structure and appearance of 
the Briar Hill coal. 

My analyses give for its composition 

Fixed Carbon,.50.90 

Bitumen, -. 46 30 

Ash.2.80 

Coke 53,70 per cent; hard, bright and good but not closely 
cemented. This coal contains scarce any bi-sulph. iron—is open¬ 
burning, and in the raw state is well adapted for making iron by 
hot blast. The ash is light yellow and aluminous. 

The Black-band ore as seen by the section given, is of unequal 
quality, and indeed a part of it is not regarded as ore by the pro¬ 
prietor; yet it contains 15 to 16 per cent, iron, and when a fur¬ 
nace is constructed on the spot, it will probably be used. 

The upper ten inches of the black-band ore, and the lower 
eight inches are of peculiarly good quality, and the specimens 
procured, as indicated by my analyses, contained33,866 percent, 
iron ; the richest black-band ore that I have yet met with. Still, 
jt is probable that the average yield would be somewhat less. 

Mr. Porter’s mine is directly on the line of the R. R., and com¬ 
bines many advantages for the coal trade and manufacture of 
iron. (See Appendix.) 

Going south from Porter’s mine, the £: Black band vein ” is 
found on the farm of Frank Henry, having the black band ore 



V 


20 

under it, but of poor quality. The coal itself has also deterio¬ 
rated, and though of good thickness, is slaty in structure and 
earthy. Above the coal the limestone is found; on the south side 
of the farm, hard, blue and highly calcareous, on the north side 
as a bastard limestone and scarcely recognizable. Above it, how¬ 
ever, the iron ore occupies its normal position, and is of excellent 
quality. This ore is here about eight inches in thickness, and 
contains over 40 per cent, metallic iron. 

On Saw-mill run, in Canfield, the Black band coal is seen 
for the last time ; it has here a rapid dip to the north-west, and 
lies nearly 80 feet higher than at Porter’s. The coal is thin and 
contains much iron pyrites. The black band is thick but not rich, 
and is here separated from the coal by several feet of shale. In 
this shale is seen a layer of nodules of kidney ore of great rich¬ 
ness, containing, according to my analysis, 47,547 per cent, me¬ 
tallic iron, and also some sulphuret of zinc. Above the coal 
the limestone is seen, quite pure, and on it the same stratum of 
ore as on Henry’s farm, said to be 18 inches in thickness, though 
not fully exposed. It contains 39,968 per cent. iron. The “Block 
Coal ” (Coal-seam No. 1) is here due at no great depth, but the 
chances are not in favor of its excellence, lying so high as it prob¬ 
ably does. 

At Cornersburgh the Black-band Coal-seam makes its appear¬ 
ance, dipping south-east 40 feet in as many rods. In its rapid 
dip and the great differences of thickness and character which it 
exhibits within the limits of its exposure, the changes which so 
often surprise and disappoint the miner are strikingly illustrated. 

On the farm of Daniel Beardsley, in Ellsworth, it is also 
seen, and though not fairly exposed, is apparently less valuable 
than northward. The shales associated with it are charged 
with iron, and may prove rich enough to pay for working. 

This important seam of coal with its iron ore may be found, 
with occasional exceptions, from the north line of Canfield to 
Niles; Porter’s mine being about the centre of the area over 
which it may be made tributary to your road. Wherever found 


27 


of good quality with its associated ores, it will, of course, be 
highly valuable. 

LIMESTONE AND ORE. 

In many places the limestone and ore lying over the Black- 
band coal are visible, and in several localities they have been 
worked together. Their appearance on the farms of Frank 
Henry and Curtis Beardsley has been mentioned. On the farms 
of Daniel Beardsley, in Ellsworth, and of Mr. Russel, in Aus- 
tintown, they have been quite extensively worked. 

The ore in these localities is from 6 to 18 inches in thickness, 
and contains from 38 to 45 per cent, metallic iron. This lime¬ 
stone is the first in the ascending series. It is distinguished by 
the ore which over-lies it, and by its fossils. It is 2J to 3 feet 
thick, dark blue in color, and sometimes contains consider¬ 
able silex and becomes cherty. It is highly fossiliferous, and 
contains large numbers of Spirifer, Proiuctis, Terebratula and 
of encrinal columns. At Cornersburgh it contains immense 
numbers of Chonetcs and the little Product us Wabashensis. 

SANDSTONE NO. 2. 

Above the limestone last mentioned occurs a thick-bedded 
sandstone which is one of the most conspicuous and permanent 
members of the series. As compared with other sand-rocks it 
is generally harder and whiter, and furnishes an inexhaustible 
supply of the best of building stone over all the region where 
it is found. It forms the centre and substance of “ Mineral 
Ridge,” along the base of which your Road is located, from the 
Mahoning to Canfield. The railroad rises above it near the 
quarry on the land of Philo Beardsley. In this quarry it ex¬ 
hibits its characteristic features—a firm, rather fine-grained, 
bluish-white sand rock, which splits with facility and certainty, 
and forms a very durable and beautiful building stone. Of this 
stone large quantities will be needed on the lake shore, and in 
the stoneless region lying south of the lake. 

COAL SEAM NO. 3 - “ BRUCE VEIN.” 

Above the sand rock last mentioned, having beds of fire-clay 
beneath them and a stratum of limestone between them, are 



V 


28 

two seams of coal, which, dipping to the south-east with the fall 
of the streams, are exposed nearly the entire distance to the 
Ohio. Of these the first and lowest crops out on the line of the 
A. & N. L. R. R. near Curtis Beardsley’s, in Canfield, and is 
worked in a great number of places in the central and southern 
parts of the township. 

At Bruce’s, on the west line of the town, it is more exten¬ 
sively and systematically worked than anywhere else in this vi¬ 
cinity. It is here three feet thick and appears well. It comes 
from the mine in blocks of cubical form and good size, the sur¬ 
face somewhat stained with clay, but internally bright, black 
and hard. It contains rather too much sulph. iron to be used in 
the raw state for the manufacture of iron, or the production of 
gas, but it may be converted into an excellent coke, and as a 
household fuel or for the generation of steam, it is scarcely infe¬ 
rior to any other variety . 

ANALYSIS. 

Fixed Carbon, - 42.046 

Volatile matter, - 46.454 

Ashes, - - 11,500 

Coke 53.546 per cent.; hard, bright and well cemented. 
Ash reddish and sandy, and will form clinker. Gas 4J cubic 
feet per lb, requiring much purification. 

The impurity which detracts from the value of the gas is sul¬ 
phurous acid derived from the bi-sulph. iron,(iron pyrites) which, 
though not existing in the coal in conspicuous masses, is distrib¬ 
uted in fine particles through all its substance. This is a char¬ 
acter constantly exhibited by the coal of this seam wherever 
found. 

Infetts coal , mined east of the centre of Canfield, is de¬ 
rived from the same stratum and possesses in a degree the same 
excellencies and defects. It burns well in a grate or under a 
boiler, and makes good coke, but the quantity of sulph. iron is 
considerable ; and it is liable to clinker. 

Desmond’s mine on the west line of Canfield is opened in the 
same coal seam, which is also visible on Indian creek, on the 


29 


lands of Mr. Church. At this point coal seam No. 2, with its 
overlying limestone, is seen in the bottom of the stream ; 
No. 3 is above it in the top of the bluff, and may also be found 
in all the highlands in the southern part of Canfield. Far¬ 
ther south I shall have occasion to refer to it again. 

LIMESTONE NO. 2. 

Above coal seam No. 3 is a limestone, the second in the series, 
which, though less constant than the lower one, may generally 
be identified, and is an important guide in searching for this 
coal seam. It is sometimes a pure, bluish, compact limestone 
about 2£ feet in thickness and furnishing lime of good quality. 
Such is its character on the lands of Judge E. Newton near the 
south line of Canfield, and in many places southward. In other 
localities it contains more clay,and forms water-lime, (“ cement 
stone ”) or is so highly charged with iron as to become a valua¬ 
ble ore ; and again, in still other localities, it exists only as a 
calcareous shale filled with fossil shells, forming the richest de¬ 
posit of fossils in the series. At Bruce’s, Infelt’s and on Indian 
Run it has this character, and Spirifcr , Terebatula , Plcurotoma- 
ria , Goniatites , Belleroplion , Loxonema , Prod net us , Macrocheilu s , and 
indeed nearly all genera of carboniferous shells are to be found 
in it. Both this limestone and the one below occur in suffi¬ 
cient abundance in Austintown,Canfield and southward, to sup¬ 
ply the want of flux that will arise in working the iron ores of 
this region. 

COAL SEAM NO. 4 -“ CANNEL VEIN.” 

This stratum of coal makes its appearance in the highlands 
of the southern part of Canfield, nearly on the level of the R. 
R, summit, and about six hundred feet above Lake Erie, and is 
accessible from that point southward for many miles along the 
line of the Road. It is most extensively worked in Can- 
field at the mine of John & William Wetmore in the south-east 
p>art of the township, and at Ewing’s, near the steam saw-mill,in 
the south-west corner. 

At Wetmore’s mine it is five feet thick, and with the excep¬ 
tion of a layer of bituminous coal at the bottom, two inches in 


* 


V 


30 


thickness, is all cannel. It is bright and handsome, coming from 
the mine in quadrangular blocks, which have internally a some¬ 
what conchoidal fracture. In its general appearance it closely 
resembles the English Wigan cannel. The surfaces of these 
blocks are somewhat stained with clay, but exhibit little ot tbe 
iron rust discoloration so common in western cannel coals. Sev¬ 
eral analyses gave me lor its composition the following foi* 

mulae : 


UPPER PORTION. 

Fixed Carbon, - 
Volatile matter, 

Ashes, - 


47.295 

33.565 

19.140 


Specific Gravity, 1.4384. 

Coke 68.435 per cent., retaining the form of coal. Ash light- 
yellowish-brown, aluminous. 

Gas 3J cubic feet per lb, good. 

LOWER PORTION. 

Fixed Carbon, - 39.2809 

Bitumen, ..... 49.1358 

Ashes,. 11.5833 


Specific Gravity, 1.295. 

Coke 50.884 per cent, cementedj but showing form of coal. 

Gas 5 cubic feet to the lb. of excellent quality. 

This coal has all the characteristics of the cannels and will 
compare favorably with any other now mined in Ohio ; the Dar¬ 
lington cannel being less attractive in appearance, and contain¬ 
ing a larger amount of earthy matter. For the purposes of dis¬ 
tillation it is evidently well adapted, and will profitably form the 
basis of extensile manufacturing operations. 

West or south of Wetmore’s mine this seam of coal in a great 
degree loses its cannel character, and becomes a bed of ordinary 
bituminous coal, considerably diminished in thickness. At Ew¬ 
ing’s mine, near the steam saw-mill, in the south-west corner of 
Canfield, it is but 2J feet in thickness, the lower two feet being 
bituminous coal of good quality, and the upper six inches can- 




31 


nel. Six feet below this coal-seam is another, also bituminous, 
which is probably only a portion of the upper stratum separated 
by a subsidence during its deposition, and if traced for some dis¬ 
tance the two would be found to unite. 

The fossils characteristic of this coal seam are principally 
the remains of fishes and shells. At Wetmore’s mine I discov¬ 
ered coprolites and the scales of Elonichthys and Eurylepis. 
Farther southward as it becomes more slaty, it contains large 
numbers of bivalve shells ( Solenemya ) and the teeth of sharks, 

( Eiplodus .) 

SANDSTONE NO. 3. 

Above the cannel coal, and separated from it by a few feet of 
shale, lies another ledge of sandstone, the third in the ascend¬ 
ing series above the conglomerate. This is a coarse, yellow¬ 
ish sand rock, generally, from its softness, inferior as a building 
stone to the one below it. It is the highest rock in Canfield, and 
caps the hill near the centre, as well as the high points 
southward. 

FIRE CLAYS. 

The Briar Hill coal, and also coal seams No. 3 and 4, and 
sometimes No. 2,are underlaid by strata of potter’s clay which in 
many places is of good quality and may be successfully applied 
to the manufacture of pottery and fire brick. The value of these 
beds in a region so rich in coal and iron will be apparent. 

SPRINGS. 

There are in Canfield several copious medicinal springs which 
deserve notice. Among them may be mentioned the “ Canfield 
Spring ” near the centre, and another near the railroad summit 
on the land of Mr. Loveland, known as “ the Pile Spring ” from 
the fact that* the spring issues from the summit ot a mound 
formed by the deposit from its waters. Both these spiings con 
tain large quantities of carbonates of iron and lime in solution, 
and have tonic properties which miy make them places of iesoi t 

to invalids. 


\ 


32 

GREENE, BEAVER AND FRANKLIN. 

GREENE VILLAGE. 

Near the south line of Canfield the Rail Road crosses the sum. 
mit, and begins to descend along the water courses tributary to 
the Ohio. Very little is therefore seen of the geology of the 
country till we reach the vicinity of Greene village. Here 
Green Creek on the east, and Middle Fork of Beaver on the 
west, have cut through the overlying sandstone, (No. 3,) which 
is here of a thickness of 50 feet or more, and have exposed coal 
seams No. 3 and 4. On the west side of the ridge they are 
opened, and have been considerably worked. On the east side 
they have not been opened, but doubtless may be at many dif¬ 
ferent points. 

At Barnes’s mine, west of Greene village, coal vein No. 3 is 
actively worked. It is 34 feet in thickness, appears well, and 
has all the characteristics of the Bruce coal. In the language of 
the country, it is “strong” coal, and makes a very hot fire, 
but contains too much sulph. iron to be liked by smiths. 

A few rods up the stream, at a level some 30 feet higher, No. 
4, or the “Cannel vein,” comes out, and has been worked by Mr. 
D. Wykart for some years. This is here a very bright, pure 
coal, containing but little sulphur, and is highly esteemed for 
working iron. It is about 24 feet thick, and is separated from the 
overlying sand-rock by a few feet of shale, which contains con¬ 
siderable iron, forming a meagre Black-band ore, scarcely rich 
enough to be worked. 

Below the coal the fire-clay is of unusual thickness ; some 
parts of it are very pure and would make excellent pottery or 
fire-brick. 

Included in this fire-clay is an argillaceo-ferruginous limestone, 
(a portion of limestone No. 2, mentioned above,) which is com¬ 
posed of nearly equal parts of clay and lime, with an admixture 
of iron rendering some portions of it a rich ore. 

COAL SEAM NO. V. 

In various places in the vicinity of Greene village, near the top 
of the hill on which the town stands, is found a thin seam of 


33 


coal, cropping out perhaps 40 feet above Wykart’s coal seam. 
This is a stratum not found further north, and is the fifth in the 
series. In all this region it is not more than feet thick, and is 
not worth working; but southward it becomes one of the most 
valuable coal seams on the line of the Road. 

Two miles above Washingtonville, cn the farm of Gen. 
Roller, coal seam No. 4 appears on the bottom of a ravine, but 
has scarcely been opened sufficiently to test its character. At 
Roller’s mill the same stratum is exposed in the face of the cliff’, 
about 2-J- feet in thickness, and of medium quality. Above it, 
the black slate is somewhat ferruginous but of no economical 
value. Relow it the limestone contains much clay and iron, and 
a rich band of nodular ore is associated with it. 


WASHINGTONVILLE. 


COAL. 


At Washingtonville coal-seam No. 4, has been veil opened 
and extensively worked, and exhibits a marked improvement in 
quality. At Walter’s, Roller’s, Whistler’s and Carsh’s mines it 
presents great similarity of character and nearly equal purity, 
but perhaps contains least bi-sulphuret of iron in the immedi¬ 
ate vicinity of Washingtonville. It is here the purest coal on 
the line of the road, and, indeed, contains a less amount of ash 
than an}^ coal I have examined in Ohio. 

The entire thickness of the seam is 2-J- feet, the lower two feet 
being the best, and showing scarcey a trace of sulph. iron ; 
the upper six inches contain more earthly matter and are some¬ 
what slaty. The lower bench furnishes coal of moderate hard¬ 
ness, cubical fracture, a silvery, resinous lustre,and is co im¬ 
posed of 


Fixed Carbon, 

Bitumen, 

Ashes, 



Whistler’s. 

W alter’d. 

. 

59.525 

59.45 

m 

39.820 

38.35 

- 

1.655 

2.20 


Specific gravity, 


1.270 


1.287 





\ 


34 

Coke GO.18 percent—peculiarly hard, brilliant and good. 

Gas 4 cubic feet per lb., of good quality. 

Ash light yellowish-brown, aluminous, will not clinker. 

Coke is made from this coal by Messrs. Whistler, Roller, and 
Walter in considerable quantities, and is considered by foundry 
men who have used it, better than that made from the Pittsburgh 
coal. 

Iron Ores .—Above the coal the shale is highly charged with 
iron, and a stratum of 4 feet in thickness, forming the root of the 
coal seam, is black-band ore cf fair quality, of which the lower 
part is richest. According to my analysis it contains from 21 to 
28 pr. ct. metallic iron. 

Above the slate ore, and separated from it by a few inches of 
black slate, lies a bed of nodular ore 3 to 5 feet in thickness. 
The nodules are small but closely set, and the ore is of superior 
quality. It is fine grained, brownish in color, contains both pro¬ 
toxide and peroxide of iron, has a specific giavity of 3.7547, and 
yields 49.80 pr. ct. metallic iron. 

Below the coal and fireclay the limestone is seen about 1^-feet 
in thickness, highly argillaceous in character, and would make 
a moderately good water lime. Below this stratum the shale for 
15 feet is set with nodules of kidney ore. It is more arenaceous 
than that above the coal, but will make good and soft iron. 

Its specific gravity is 3.180, and it contains 38.30G pr. ct. me¬ 
tallic iron. 

On the land of Mr. Grimm, near the village, is a bed of bog 
ore which, in a region less rich in iron, would be regarded as 
highly valuable ; here it is also of value, but less than the strati¬ 
fied ores. 

About Washingtonville the “Bruce Coal vein” (No. 3,) lies 
below drainage and has not been tested. West of the town it 
is opened and exhibits the same general character as at Barnes’ 
mine, near Greene village, and Bruce’s in Canfield. 

The abundance of ore in the vicinity of Washingtonville, and 
the excellence of the coal, should make this an important point 
in the business of the Road. It is to be regretted that the coal 


35 


Is not of greater thickness, but the coal and the ore overlying 
it may perhaps be worked advantageously together. 

Near Bozzart’s mill, S. W. of Washingtonville, Coal-seam No. 

4 has been opened near the level of the road, and No. 5 is seen 
cropping out on the hill-side, perhaps 50 feet above. It is here 
18 inches in thickness. 

About Franklin Square, Coal-seam No. 4 is found in a great 
number of localities, and apparently of good quality. It comes 
out just below the grade of the O. & P. R. R., near the station, 
also on the river-bank at the bridge : and may be found through¬ 
out the vicinity, at about the level of 25 feet above the stream. 

From Mr. I. Dickson I learn that in the hill east of Franklin 
Square, at a distance of 80 to 100 feet above No. 4, (and over 
No. 5,) abed of impure cannel is found six feet in thickness. 
This is perhaps the equivalent of Coal No. 6, to which I shall 
soon have occasion to refer. No. 3 here lies below drainage. 

Along the line of the Railroad from Franklin Square to Long’s 
Mill, coal may be mined at any point. The most accessible 
seam is No. 4, though the upper beds are contained in the hills, 
as yet unopened. 

At Long’s Mill we found Coal-seam No. 4 just in the grade of 
the Road, about 3 feet in thickness, and apparently of good, 
quality. 

The shales lying above and below it are charged with iron, 
and will probably have some economical value. 

As this point the upper seams of coal are seen cropping out 
on the Road to New Lisbon, but are more fully exposed just be¬ 
low, on the 

SHELTON AND ARTER FARMS. 

These farms, somewhat famous in the vicinity for their mineral 
resources, exhibit an unusual concentration of iron ore, coal and 
limestone, and d< serve the distinction they enjoy ; yet it is true 
that the whole adjacent country for many miles in every direc¬ 
tion, is scarcely less rich in valuable minerals. 

On the Shelton farm we find Coal-seam No. 4 near the level 
of the creek, and the shales above it extremely rich in iron in the 


36 


V 


form of nodules of from 10 to 100 lbs. weight, and of good qual¬ 
ity. Above this, perhaps 50 feet, is Coal-seam No. 5, appar¬ 
ently some two feet in thickness, but scarcely opened sufficiently 
to determine its thickness or quality. 

Limestone No. 3.—A few feet above this coal seam lies a stra¬ 
tum of limestone which is a conspicuous feature of the geology of 
Columbiana county. It is the third limestone in the ascending 
series, and is found as far north as Poland, in Mahoning county, 
thence southward to and beyond the Ohio, wherever the land is 
high enough to include it. 

On the Railroad it is first found on the south line of Canfield, 
its lower portion capping the extreme summit of a high point 
south of the steam saw-mill on the Plank Road. It is doubtless 
contained in the hills about Franklin Square, but from the fact 
that, like other limestones, it is readily dissolved and removed by 
atmospheric influences, its out-crop is covered and concealed. 

The upper portion of this bed, and sometimes its entire thick¬ 
ness, is of a light dove color, weathering yellowish-white. The 
lower portion is frequently darker and more argillaceous, and 
sometimes nodular and cherty. It is nearly destitute of fossils 
and, when burned, makes a lime of great purity and more nearly 
white than that from any other limestone of the coal measures. 

From its quality, association and distribution, it is an impor¬ 
tant element in the mineral resources of the region where it oc¬ 
curs. For the purpose of identification I shall call it the White 
Limestone. 

COAL SEAM NO. 6.-“ THE BIG VEIN. ” 

A few feet above the white limestone is found on the Shelton 
farm, Coal-seam No. 6—or, as it is called for the sake of distinc¬ 
tion, the “ Big Vein. ” This stratum is probably identical with 
the “ Big Vein ” on Yellow Creek, and is traceable over an im¬ 
mense area in Ohio and Virginia. As its name implies, it is a 
coal stratum of unusual thickness ; in this respect excelling all 
others in the Ohio portion of the Alleghany coal field. On the 
farm of Mr. Shelton it is opened in several places, but nowhere 
penetrated to such a depth as to have passed the influence ofthe 


37 


external air, and to permit me to obtain a fair sample of its 
quality. For this reason I have made no analysis of it. Its 
thickness over the Shelton farm is 7 ft. 3 inches. 

From what I know of this coal-seam elsewhere, as well as from 
what its out-crop here indicates, I infer that it will furnish a coal 
of but moderate hardness and highly caking in character. Where 
containing but little sulph.iron it makes an excellent coke, and in 
that form is now much used for the reduction of iron ores. 

Sandstone No. 4.—Above the c< Big Vein ” is a stratum of shale 
of some 5 feet in thickness, upon which lies a bed of sandstone, 
here rather slaty, and not of great thickness, but toward the Ohio 
it becomes thicker and more massive, and is recognizable over 
a large area. 

COAL SEAM NO. 7. 

Over this bed of sandstone, at a distance not greater than 40 
feet from the “ Big Vein,” comes in Coal-Seam No. 7, the high¬ 
est on the line of the Rail Road. It is here about two to two 
and a halt feet in thickness,—-quality not determinable. This 
seam, on Yellow Creek, as w r ell as on the Little Beaver, nearer 
the Ohio, becomes thicker and more valuable. 

Iron Ore. Lying upon this Coal-Seam is a deposit of iron, 
which may always be found wherever the coal crops out, though 
subject to great variation of thickness and value. The overly¬ 
ing shale is usually charged with iron, generally diffused through 
its substance, producing black-band ore; but it is sometimes 
also collected in nodules and lenticular masses. 

On the Arterfarm, and on the farm of Wm. Teagarden, this 
ore-bed is largely developed, and of great value. 

On the Shelton farm, the “ Big Vein ” lies just on the grade of 
the Rail Road. On the Arter farm adjoining, it lies much 
higher, rising faster than the grade of the Road. Above it, on 
the hill, the uppermost vein is fully exposed, 2J feet in thickness, 
and having nearly five feet of black-band ore over it. Crossing 
the hill, in a ravine where the coal crops out, we find the upper 
vein covered by black-band, in which are lenticular masses of 
kidney ore. 


V 


38 

The black-band ore of the Aster farm contains a large amount 
of carbonaceous matter (25 pr. ct.), and in its raw state 23.081 
pr. ct. of metallic iron. 

The kidney ore is fine-grained and dark-gray in color; has 
a specific gravity of 3.4135, and contains 42.976 of metallic 
iron. 

On the larm of Mr. Teagarden, still farther south, the “ Big 
Vein,” where it is opened, has decreased in thickness to four 
feet. Above it, the upper vein crops out in several places, and 
over this the iron ore, principally in heavy nodules. These ar (i 
somewhat more sandy than those of the Arter farm, have a spe¬ 
cific gravity ol 3.311, and contain 41.06 pr. ct. metallic iron. 

Below the “ Big Vein,” on the Teagarden property, is a bed 
of shale severel feet in thickness, apparently forming the roof of 
Coal-Seam No. 5, which contains iron, perhaps in sufficient 
quantity to pay for working. 

From the farm of Mr. Arter to New Lisbon, the surface grad¬ 
ually declines, and it is probable that the upper seams of- coal 
and iron will not be found in that interval. The “Big Vein” 
and the white, limestone crop out, however, at several points on 
the Salem road, and may be worked over a large surface. The 
Railroad follows down the valley of the Middle Fork, which cuts 
deeply into the strata, exposing all the rocks between Coal-Seams 
No. 6 and No. 3. 

In this section, three miles above New Lisbon, Coal-Seam No. 
5 is seen two feet in thickness, about 80 feet above the stream, 
lying under sandstone. Coal No. 4, fifty feet below, is divided 
into several portions by dark shale, which contains considerable 
iron. Near the level of the creek No. 3 appears, about three 
feet thick, with the fossiliferous limestone immediately over it. 
On this bed of coal, as at Washingtonville, is a rich bed of kid¬ 
ney ore, which becomes more important as we approach New 
Lisbon. 

Water Lime. One mile farther south, near the top of the left 
bank of the creek, is found the water lime from which was made 
the cement used in the construction of the locks on the Sandy 
and Beaver canal. 


39 


The excavations formerly made, have been in a great degree 
filled np by the falling in of the overlying sandstone, so that I 
was not able to get a view of the entire thickness of the deposit. 
It is said to be five feet thick, and is probably the equivalent of 
the white limestone described above, this being one of the 
changes to which the limestones of the coal measures are liable. 
It principally consists in the substitution of argillaceous matter 
for a portion of the lime of the rock, making it a clay-limestone, 
by which it obtains the property of consolidating under w T ater. 

This hydraulic lime is dark blue, with a remarkably fine grain. 
It contains, in addition to the clay and lime, a small portion of 
iron, which gives to the cement a reddish color. Its excellence 
has been thoroughly tested in the construction of the work 
above referred to. In tearing up some of the old locks which had 
been laid in it, it has been found that the stone would part more 
readily than the cement. Its quality is not inferior to that of 
any water lime now made in the country, and with the increased 
facilities for transportation furnished by your Road, might doubt¬ 
less be profitably manufactured on a large scale. 

THE FURNACE TRACT. 

Coal. From the hydraulic-lime quarry to New Lisbon, what 
I regard as the equivalent of the “ Bruce Coal,” lies just above 
the bed of the creek, and is extensively opened on the u Old Fur' 
nace” property, now owned by J. McClymonds, Esq. 

The mines of Mr. McClymonds very conveniently open on 
the grade of the Road, and are well located for the working of 
coal, both for manufacturing and for exportation. The coal is 
3—3J feet thick, and, exhibiting the general character of the 
same seam at Greene Village and Canfield, is better than i:i 
either of those places. It works handsomely in cubical blocks, is 
black and lustrous, and has the hackly fracture characteristic of 
the coal of this seam. 

ANALYSIS. 

Fixed Carbon, - 47.502. 

Bitumen, ------ 45.400. 

Ashes, -. 7.098. 

Specific gravity 1.2854. 


40 


\ 


Coke 54.60 pr. ct., bright, hard, and well-cemented. Ash red¬ 
dish, containing iron and considerable silica. Of gas it gives 4.\- 
cubic feet pr. lb., but such as“requires much purification. 

Kidney Ore. —Above the coal, and separated from it by black 
slate, lies the bed of kidney ore to which I have referred. It has 
been extensively denuded by the washing of the creek, and is 
found beneath the soil on the level lands adjacent to the stream, 
where it was formerly extensively worked for the supply of the 
neighboring furnaces. The thickness of the bed is from 5 to 10 
feet, and the quality of the ore is good, as is proven not only by 
my experiments, but by the excellence of the iron formerly made 
from it. 

This ore is more argillaceous than that from the same bed at 
Washingtonville, and contains 42 pr. ct. metallic iron. 

Rock Ore .— Above the kidney ore bed is the limestone which 
has been noticed as lying over this coal-seam in several places. 
The relative proportions of its ingredients vary much in differ¬ 
ent localities. On the furnace property it is highly charged'with 
iron, and becomes a rich calcareous ore, from 18 inches to two 
feet in thickness, containing about lime enough to flux it, and 
36.186 metallic iron. 

Bituminous Shale. —Above the rock ore occurs a thick bed of 
bituminous shale; a striking feature in the geology of the vicinity 
of New Lisbon, and the equivalent of Coal-seam No. 4, the can- 
nel seam of Canfield. 

Sandstone. —The sand-rock (No. 3,) which lies above the black 
slate, is here very thick and massive, and furnishes a building 
stone scarcely surpassed in beauty, durability or in the facility 
with which it is quarried and worked, by any with which I am 
acquainted. 

It is light drab in color, very homogeneous in texture, and may 
be quarried in blocks of any desired size. The locks of the San¬ 
dy and Beaver canal in this vicinity were constructed from 
this stone, and present some of the handsomest specimens of ma~ 
sonry which can be found in any country. 


41 



NEW LISBON. 

COAL. 

As we approach the town of New Lisboa, the coal-seam, which 
at McClymond’s mine is at least 40 feet above the creek, dips 
rapidly, till at the mine of Mr. Potter it reaches the level of the 
stream. Sinking for a short interval below the stream, it again 
rises, and at the entrance to “Hephner’s Hollow, ” and so down 
to “ Aider’s Hollow,” and still below to Baker’s and Green’s 
mines, it dips nearly with the fall of the stream, and lies just 
above it. The quality of the coal is generally similar, but ex¬ 
hibits some local variations. 

Iron Ore. —At the entrance of Hephner’s Hollow on the lands 
of Mrs. Potter, the ore-bed overlying the coal is finely exposed, 
showing about 15 feet of shale thickly set with large nodules of 
ore. The specimens of ore which I took from this deposit con¬ 
tain 35.226 pr. ct. metallic iron. The average yield of the bed 
may be something greater. Over the ore lies the black slate, 
nearly 20 feet in thickness, and some parts of it rich in iron. 
High above on the hills, the white limestone has been quarried, 
here containing more iron and clay than usual. 

In the bluff south of the town the ore-bed is not well exposed 
but it is apparently less rich than in Hephner’s Hollow. 

The limestone over it is highly argillaceous, and has been used 
for making cement. 

The black bituminous shale is here very conspicuous, and has 
been mined as cannel coal. It is so highly charged with bitu¬ 
men that it burns freely, and in the absence of a better combus¬ 
tible might be used for the generation of heat, but it contains too 
much earthy matter to form a desirable fuel. Nor is it probable 
that it would prove of greater purity when deeply penetrated. 
It is the equivalent of a coal seam, and on either side is found 
running into a bed of workable bituminous coal, but over an 
area ten miles in diameter it has the character which it here 
exhibits. 

It contains 22 per cent of volatile matter, and from its abun¬ 
dance might be profitably used for distillation. A ton of it would 
yield 20 gallons of oil if properly distilled. 




42 

Above the black slate, and midway of the slope, a thin stra¬ 
tum of coal (No. 5) is seen cropping out. Still above this, at the 
crown of the hill, the white limestone appears. From this point 
the hills recede, and the upper coal seams are only found at some 
distance from the stream. 

The country about New Lisbon contains a vast amount of 
mineral wealth which only needs to be developed to make it the 
theatre of extensive industrial operations. It is true that near 
the town the resources of the region are not so apparent; Coal- 
seam No. 4 is wanting and No. 3 is thin; but in the near, or more 
distant hills, e^ist gieat quantities of iron and coal, of potter’s 
clay and cement, of building stone and mineral paint, which 
would give profitable employment to a large population and 
capital. 

SOUTHERN DIVISION. NEW LISBON TO THE OHIO 

RIVER. 

The route of the A. & N. L. R. R. from New Lisbon to the 
Ohio, had not been fully decided upon at the time of my visit, 
and of the two proposed routes I was requested to make an ex¬ 
amination, that their respective merits might be more ac¬ 
curately compared. These two routes were, one along the line 
of the Sandy and Beaver Canal down the Little Beaver, and 
the other crossing the summit and following down Block-House 
Run to the Ohio at the mouth of Yellow Creek. 

With the greater part of the latter route I was already fami" 
liar from former examination, and I did not therefore go over it. 
Of the former line I made a somewhat hurried examination 
and am able to give the following general report. 

The distance from New Lisbon to the mouth of the Little 
Beaver, following the windings of the stream, is 26 miles. The 
difference of level between Lock 15 in the town of New Lisbon 
and low-water mark on the Ohio, is 302 feet. The necessary 
difference of Rail Road levels would be about 260 feet, or 10 
feet per mile. The grade is therefore peculiarly favorable.— 
following the line of the canal, there are also some advantages 




43 


which the Rail Road would derive from that abandoned work. 
In many places, and for long distances, the grading already done 
would be immediately available ; and the forty locks scattered 
along the line, all built in a most elaborate and massive style of 
masonry, will probably supply an amount of material already 
finished and furnished where wanted, sufficient for all the pur¬ 
poses of construction required. 

The mineral resources of this route are fully equal to those of 
any part ol the line already located, and would perhaps contri¬ 
bute as much or more than any equal area to the business of 
the Road. 

The geological formation is nearly the same for the entire 
distance, and tlie strata exposed at New Lisbon, or their equiva¬ 
lents, form the banks of the stream to it's junction with the Ohio. 

There are, however, some changes noticeable in the composi¬ 
tion and thickness of some of the strata, which have a high sci¬ 
entific interest, and which materially effect their economical value. 
To the first I can only allude ; the second I will briefly indicate. 

Coal .—The lowest Coal-Seam exposed at New Lisbon (Mc- 
Clymonds), follows with its dip the fall of the stream nearly to 
its mouth, the local waves of the strata sometimes carrying it 
below the water level, but it usually lies a few feet above it. A 
mile and a half below the town, at the mines of Messrs. Baker 
and Green, where this coal is quite extensively worked, it ap¬ 
pears well, having nearly the thickness and quality which it ex¬ 
hibits at McClymonds’s mine above the town. From this point 
the thickness of the stratum gradually diminishes, and below 
Elkton it becomes scarcely workable. 

The black slate of New Lisbon, which, I have said, is the 
equivalent of the cannel coal of Canfield, and of the Washing- 
tonville coal, at Elkton contains a foot of bituminous coal in its 
lower part. Four miles below, on the farm of Levi Williams, 
this stratum has increased to 3-J- feet in thickness, with another 
foot of coal 5 feet above it; below it, McClymonds’ coal, less 
than two feet thick, and the black slate over it converted into an 
impure cannel, which has been worked to some extent. Thence, 


V 


44 

to the month of the river, this coal is almost constantly visible, 
and is opened in many places. It becomes gradually thinner, 
however, and on the farm of Charles Fulke, three miles above 
the mouth of the creek, it is only two feet in thickness but of 
good quality. 

Near the middle of the section exposed to the bluff opposite 
the town of New Lisbon, is a thin seam ol coal which I have 
referred to, as occurring first in the hills near Green Village. In 
the immediate vicinity of New Lisbon it is about two feet in 
thickness, and may be found in Arter’s Hollow, and in many 
other localities. Within two miles of New Lisbon this seam 
becomes much thicker, and one of the most valuable in the se¬ 
ries. On the Whari farm , it lies about fifty feet above Green & 
Baker’s coal, is four feet thick and of excellent quality. The 
black slate lies about twenty feet below it; its characteristic 
fossils, Solenemya , scales of Elonichthys , teeth of Diplodu's , &c., 
as at Canfield, Washingtonville, and New Lisbon. 

The Whan Coal is jet black and resinous in appearance, hav¬ 
ing the hackly fracture and the general aspect of the Brier Hill 
coal, which it also somewhat resembles in composition, though 
more bituminous, softer, and containing rather more sulph iron, 
and a larger amount of ash. 

My analysis gave the following as its composition,— 

Fixed Carbon, - 55.22. 

Bitumen, ------ ,29.93. 

Ashes,.- 4.85. 

Coke 60.07 pr. ct. Hard and bright, retaining in some degree 
the form of the coal. Of gas it yields 4 cubic feet pr. lb. of 
good quality. 

The ash is buff in color, containing a small quantity of iron 
and silex, and will not produce any considerable amount of 
clinker. 

This is a hard, open-burning coal, containing but little inju_ 
rious impurity, and will serve an important purpose in the re¬ 
duction of iron ores which abound in the same region. 

On the opposite side of the creek, on the lands of Mr. John 


45 


Kemble, this seam is again seen, exhibiting the same charac ¬ 
ters ; and from this point to the Ohio it is found in all the hills 
lying back from the immediate bank of the stream. 

Still higher in the hills is found the white limestone. Below 
it is intercalated a thin seam of coal, and above it lies the Big 
Vein of the Aider and Shelton farms. This coal is found in all 
the country lying between New Lisbon and the river, but no¬ 
where observed by me has a greater thickness than 4^ feet. 
Like the Whan vein, it varies from 3 to 4J feet. 

Above the “ Big Vein,” coal seam No. 7 is found wherever 
the hills are high enough to receive it over all this region, but it 
is generallv thin. 

It is claimed that Coal Seam No. 8, or the Pittsburgh seam; 
is found in the tops of the hills bordering the Ohio, but I was 
not able to discover any traces of it. 

I was much interested in finding a perfect accordance in the 
geology of the hills from the Arter farm to the Ohio. They are 
composed of the same strata, and show conclusively that they 
are but portions of what was once a continuous plateau, the 
vallies, which now separate them, frequently from 300 to 400 feet 
deep, being due entirely to the erosive action of water. The 
same remarkable uniformity of altitude and geological structure 
prevail in the hills of a much larger area than that I have cited, 
as I have traced the strata which compose them throughout 
Columbiana, Carroll, Tuscarawas, and a large part of Jefferson 
counties. Of the strata which compose the summits of the hills 
in all this region, one of the most distinctly marked, is, what 1 
have termed the upper conglomerate , a sandstone, often dark-red 
in color, lying above the “ Big vein,” and filled with very small 
buartz-pebbles, generally not larger than a grain of wheat, 
though sometimes of the size of a pea or a bean. 

This sandstone (No. 5,) is largely developed near the mouth 
of the Little Beaver, and huge blocks of it undermined by the 
action of the stream, have fallen and now strew the slopes of 
the banks. 

On the summits of the hills 1 found scattered blocks of lime 


40 


v 


stone, which is doubtless that underlying the Pittsburgh coal 
seam. 

Iron Ore .—The Iron Ores of the region bordering the Little 
Beaver are remarkably rich and continuous ; in their aggregate 
quantity, excelling those of any other portion of the Alleghany 
coal field which I have examined. f . 

The bed of kidnby ore which I have mentioned as lying over 
McClymonds coal seam, and fully exposed at ILephner’s Hollow, 
extends with varying richness quite to the Ohio. At Green’s 
mine, below New Lisbon, it is seen lying over the coal. The 
ore is here of good quality, and contains about 40 per ct 
metallic iron ; farher down, it is visible below Elkton, at Wil¬ 
liamsport, and at many intermediate points In some localities 
it forms a good black band ore, and at others, the two varieties 
are combined. At Fare’s, below Fredericktown, on the north 
side of the stream, it is a meagre black band ; on the other side 
the shale is more arenaceous, and the iron has formed with it a 
remarkably compact, blue, micaceous sandstone, containing a 
large proportion of protoxide iron, which, when peroxidized 
converts the whole into an ochery mass. 

On the farm of Chas. Fulke, 3 miles below, it is again a rich 
kidney and black band ore. 

Above this stratum comes the limestone ore noticed as occur¬ 
ring on the “Old Furnace” property, near New Lisbon. This 
deposit is traceable nearly the entire distance from New Lisbon 
to the Ohio. On the farm of Wm Kemble, Esq., at Elkton, it 
is a very pure limestone 4 feet in thickness, of which the lower 
foot is highly charged with iron. It usually occurs as a calcar¬ 
eous ore varying in richness from 35 to 42 per cent, metallic 
iron, and over the greater part of this line may be estimated as 
furnishing a continuous sheet of one loot in thickness, of ore of 
this quality. 

Upon this calcareous layer rests the black slate, which at the 
entrance to Ilephner’s Hollow, contains some diffused iron. As 
we descend along this line of the canal, the quantity of iron 
increases, and it ultimately becomes an important ore bed. On 


47 


the Whan farm, the lower portion of this slate or shale contains 
a layer of rich black band ore, the best specimens yielding 32- 
606 per cent, iron, and the poorest 22.464; but it also contains 
so much sulphur as seriously to impair its value. 

Between Middle Beaver and Williamsport, this stratum is ex¬ 
posed in several places, lying upon the coal, from 8 to 10 feet 
in thickness, mingled black band and kidney ores. On the farm 
of Mr. Fare, near Fredericktown, it is 10 feet thick of similar 
character, and quite rich. Still further down, on the farm of 
Chas. Fulke, it it 5 feet thick. I also observed it at many inter¬ 
mediate points, which do not require separate notice. 

« 

I have estimated the amount of iron ore along the course of 
the Little Beaver, below New Lisbon, as equivalent to a con¬ 
tinuous bed of ordinary richness, ten feet in thickness on both 
sides of the stream to the Ohio. 

To show that in some localities at least, this amount is much 
exceeded, I give a section of the rocks on the banks of the 
Little Beaver, 3 miles above its mouth, on the farm of Chas. 
Fulke. 


THICKNESS. REMARKS. 


No. 1 

Shale and sandstone to 


The upper seams of 


top of hills, perhaps con- 


coal are not opened on 


taining a thin seam 

of 


this farm, but are in 


of coal, 

50 

feet. 

many places in the vi¬ 

“ 2 

Coal, 

3 

u 

cinity. 

“ 3 

Fire clay, 

3 

u 


“ 4 

Sand-rock, 

40 

u 


« 5 

Shale, 

10 

u 

• s 

“ 6 

Coal, 

H 

u 


u y 

White limestone, 

6 

a 


“ 8 

Shale and shelly sane 

l- 




stone, 

20 

a 


“ 9 

Coal (“Whan Vein,” 

) f'2" 

a 


“ 10 

Fire clay, 

2 

u ■ 


“ 11 

Sand-rock, shelly 



/ 


above, 

25 

a 


“ 12 

Kidney and black- 



K. ore 44.834 pr. ct. 


band ore, 

5 

u 

iron. 

“ 13 

Bit. Shale, 

3 

u 

■ 







48 


'v 


THICKNESS. 


E. EM ARKS, 


« 14 

Coal (worked,) 

2 

<c 

“ 15 

Fire clay, 

3 

<< 

“ 16 

Kidney ore, 

8 

u 

“ 17 

Black band, 

5 

u 

“ 18 

Blue Shale, 

1 

a 

« 19 

Coal, 


u 

“ 20 

Fire clay, 

1 

(( 

“ 21 

Shelly sandstone, 

20 

u 

“ 22 

Kidney ore, 

5 

u 

“ 23 

Block ore, 

1 

(( 

“ 24 

Shale, 

33 

(( 

“ 25 

Sandstone to river, 

20 

(( 


| 


Var .A. 39.476 pr. ct. iron. 
Var. B. 45.192 pr. ct. iron. 


Best 12 inches 31.030 
pr. ct. iron. 


43.24 pr. ct .iron. 
41.05 pr. ct. iron. 


Salt Springs .—At Several points near New Lisbon and below, 
salt springs occur, which have led to the supposition that salt 
might be obtained from boring at these places ; and, in fact, 
boring was many years since commenced 1|- miles below New 
Lisbon, but the works was stopped by an accident before the salt 
rock was reached. 

The “Salt Rock” (conglomerate) has been struck in many 
places on Yellow Creek—of which the valley lies but 12 to 15 
miles from that of the Little Beaver—at the distance of 300 to 
000 feet, and salt is now made in considerable quantities at Sa- 
lineville, from brine derived from one s of these borings. 

There is little doubt that the salt rock may be reached any¬ 
where in the valley of the Little Beaver, at a depth not greater 
than 500 feet; and from wells sunk in that region, as on the 
Kanawha, Muskingum and Yellow Creek, salt may probablv 
be profitably manufactured. 

Water Power .—In estimating the claims of this route, the wa¬ 
ter power which will permit mills to be established on every 
mile of the Road, should not be omitted. 


This waterpower, fed by springs coming from the coal-seams, 
is copious and never-failing. During all the unprecedented 
drought of the past year, the fine mill of Mr, Culbertson, atFred- 
ricktown, continued to run without the loss of a day ; and this 
was the case with many others. 




49 


NEW LISBON TO LINTON.—BY BLOCK HOUSE RUN. 

The grade on this route must necessarily be very heavy in 
crossing the summit; subsequently no formidable obstacles would 
probably be encountered. 

The geological structure of this route would be essentially 
that of the Yellow Creek Valley, which, though less rich in iron 
than that of the Little Beaver, exhibits a greater concentration 
of coal than exists perhaps anywhere else west of the Alle- 
ghanies. 

To show the mineral resources of this region I subjoin a sec¬ 
tion of the rocky strata on Yellow Creek—such as prevails, with 
local variations, from the Summit to the Ohio river. 

Of the quality of the coal and ores, I have not now time to 
speak. I have, however, made analyses of all of them, and 
can say that they will compare favorably with any similar group 
ol minerals in the country. One of these coals, the “ Strip 
Vein” (No. 18 ) is of peculiar excellence, and is now very exten¬ 
sively used in the lake-cities as a gas coal. 

Furnaces are now building on l r ellow Creek to be supplied 
with all their raw material from that region. 

SECTION OF THE STRATA ON YELLOW CREEK. 


No. 1 

“ 2 

Red sandstone, - 

Coal, ------ 

H 

66 

<c 

3 

Fire clay, ------ 

2 

66 

u 

4 

Shale,. 

90 

6 6 

66 

5 

Limestone, ------ 

10 

66 

66 

6 

Shales, sandstones, and iron ore, - 

78 

66 

66 

7 

Coal, “ Groff Vein. ” - 

Fire clay, ------ 

4 

66 

66 

8 

3 

66 

66 

9 

Sandstone and shale, - - - - 

102 

66 

66 

10 

Coal‘ “ Big Vein, ” - - - - 

7 

66 

66 

11 

Fire Ua}, -. 

5 

66 

66 

12 

Sandstone, - 

30 

66 

66 

13 

Limestone, ------ 

8 

66 

66 

14 

Shale and sandstone, - - - 

70 

66 

66 

15 

Coal, “ Roger Vein, ” - 

3 

66 

66 

16 

Fire clay, -. 

3 

66 

66 

17 

Shale with iron ore, - - - 

50 

66 


50 




u IS Coal, “ Strip Vein,” 

“ 19 Fire clay, - 
20 Shale, - 

“ 21 Coal, “ Creek Vein, ” 
a 22 Fire clay, - 

“ 23 Shale and sandstone with iron ore, - 
a 24 Coal, - 

“ 25 Yellow Creek at mouth 


APPENDIX. 

To give to my report the greatest possible practical value, I 
have thought best to add to it, in the form of a brief appendix, 
some facts in reference to the mode and cost of mining and man¬ 
ufacturing the minerals found in the country traversed by the 
A.& N. L R. R., to the cost of their transportation, and to the 
markets which are opened to them. 

COAL. 

Cost of Mining .—So many conditions, such as thickness, 
hardness, facility of drainage, nature of the roof, amount mined, 
&c., &c., affect the price of mining to such a degree, that only a 
general rule applicable to cases which present no extremes, can 
be given for it. The cost of mining usually consists of several 
distinct items, viz : the price per ton paid the miner, the dead 
work and superintendence, outside expenses, and interest on 
capital. 

The price paid the miner in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania 

varies considerable with the seam and somewhat with the season. 

It may, however, be estimated at 45cts per ton, in a 6 feet seam, 

55 in a 4 ft., 70 in a 3 ft., and $1 in a 2 ft. seam; the miner furn- 

* 

ishing his tools, lights, and powder. 

In an ordinary coal-seam 4 ft. in thickness, miners will average 
3 tons per day ; many of them considerable more. 

The “ dead work,” i. e. driving entries, turning rooms, taking up 
bottom, &c., &c., varies so much, that not even a general rule 
can be given for it. In a coal seam of 4 ft. in thickness, the 


2 \ “ 
12 “ 
8 “ 
4 “ 

3 “ 
20 “ 
1 “ 


51 


entry, which to admit a mule or pony should be at least 5ft. 
high on the rail, and 7 ft. wide across the rail, well timbered 
and laid with a good tram road, ties, 3 ft. apart, will cost $5 per 
yard linear. 

When the coal is fairly reached the cost of driving entry is 
much less, sometimes being all paid by the coal taken from it. 
The cost of superintendence, weighing, screening, and putting oil 
railroad will necessarily vary greatly in different cases. These 
expenses rarely fall below 50 per cent, and rarely rise much 
above 10*5 per cent on the price paid for mining proper. A safe 
general estimate applicable to many cases is to compute the cost 
of the coal on the R. R. cars, as double the price paid the mine 
Including interest on capital and all incidentals, this is scarcely 
too large an estimate even for mines favorably located. 

In connecting mines with the railroad the cost of the tram 
road will depend upon the difficulties of grade encountered, the 
proximity of timber, and most of all on the style of road adopted. 
Where no heavy grading is required, an excellent road, with ties 
six inches square, 3 feet apart, rails 3£ by 5 inches, capped with 
strap rail 2J by in., may generally be constructed for $3,000 
per mile. 

When the grading is light and timber cheap, a good road may 
be made with iron 1^- by f, for $1,500 to $2,000 per mile. 

COST OF TRANSPORTATION. 

The rate of transportation of coal on the C. & P. R. R. was 
formerly, for considerable distances, If cts per ton (of 2,000 lbs.) 
per mile; two years since the price was raised to If cts, which 
is the present rate. 

On the Reading R. R., the great coal road of Pennsylvania 
he price of transport has usually been about 2 cts per ton o f 
2,240 lbs.) per mile. This Railroad cost more than three times 
as much as any Western Road of equal length, and of course 
pays a proportionate interest, and yet its business is highly re¬ 
munerative. It should, however, be remembered that it is also 
immense. 


i 


52 


v 


The grades of the A. & N. L. R. R. will be somewhat lighter 
than those of the C. & P. R. R., and coal can be sent to the Lakes 
at least as cheaply by the former Road as by the latter. 

The cost of transport need not, therefore,exceed If cts per ton 
per mile ; and I should hope it might be done for 1 ^ cts. 1 would, 
however, suggest that the tariff of prices be as high as is neces¬ 
sary at first, so that if a change be made it may be a reduction, 
and not an elevation of the price; as a contrary change might 
havo a ruinous effect on enterprises before remunerative ; and 
the true interests of a Railroad are inseparable from those of its 
patrons. 

If we reckon the price of a ton of coal put on the cars at each 
of the places where it may be extensively mined, at $1, and the 
handling and dockage at Ashtabula at 25 cts—a liberal estimate 
—we shall have for the cost of the coal on ship board, or at least 
delivered in market, to be as follows : 

Niles 50 miles, $1.00 x 87J x 25—$2.12^- per ton. 

Austintown, 55 miles, 1.00 x 96 x 25 — 2.21 “ “ 

Canfield, 60 miles, 1.00x 1.05 x 25— 2.30 “ u 

New Lisbon 80 miles, 1.00x 1.40 x 25 — 2.65 “ u 

Washingtonville, (seam thinner) 

70 miles, 1.50x 1.23 x 25— 2.98 “ a 

Iron Ore. —The cost of mining ore is even more liable to vari¬ 
ation than that of coal. 

In Ohio, up to the present time, but little iron has been mined 
by drifting; the ore bed has generally been “ stripped ” at its 
out-crop, the cost of stripping depending on the nature and the 
amount of overlying material. For a rich ore, it is said that a 
foot of earth can be profitably removed for every inch of ore, but 
this estimate is based upon a certain relation between the value 
of labor and of the manufactured article which would not always 
obtain. In some instances which have come under my observa¬ 
tion, the price paid for digging ore has been from 75 cts to $1 
per ton. 

Where the ore forms the roof or floor of a coal-seam, they can 
of course be very profitably mined together ; the coal being first 
mined and the ore brought down or raised by powder or wedges. 


53 


The consumption of ore will be, in a great degree, local, and 
much less will be transported over the Road than of coal, but the 
furnaces now established in Mahoning county carry a large por¬ 
tion of the ore which they use, in wagons, and will doubtless 
make use of the Railroad when it is completed. 

The price paid for ore at Youngstown has varied from $3 to 
$3.50 per ton. 

In working the ores of this region, manufacturers will lind it 
desirable to avail themselves of the great variety in the ores which 
are distributed along the line Road. The skill of the won master 
is nowhere shown to gi eater advantage than in the mingling of 
ores ; a process from which he derives results as decided and sat¬ 
isfactory as the painter from the blending of his colors. With a 
judicious combination of the materials here attainable, there is 
nothing in the manufacture of iron which is elsewhere accom¬ 
plished, which may not be as well and as cheaply done here. 

The black-band ore, as a general rule furnishes an iron which 
is highly carbonized, contains some sulphur and phosphorus, fuses 
at a low temperature, flows freely, and gives a smooth and 
handsome surface to the castings made from it. It is therefore 
better adapted to foundry purposes than to the manufacture of 
bar iron. In some cases, however, it yields a soft and tough iron. 

On the other hand, the kidney ores, especially such as are fine 
grained, liver-colored, and show nowhere crystals of the sulphur- 
ets of iron or zinc, yield a coarse grained, soft, tenacious iron, 
which is readily made mailable. If the kidney ore is blue, 
brittle, and contains crystals of sulph. iron, it will make a hard 
ron. 

The calcareous ores vary in quality, but often furnish an ex¬ 
cellent iron. 

Of these different varieties an abundance of each is to be 
found on your road, and whatever can anywhere be done with 
coal measure-ores, can be done with them. The excellence of 
the iron produced by the Hanging Rock and Massillon furnaces 
from similar ores is an indication of what may be done with the 
carbonates of Ohio. 

A still wider range of combination than that of the Ohio, ores 


54 


may also, be profitably adopted by manufacturers upon the A. 
& N. L. R. R. I allude to the union of the specular and mag¬ 
netic ores of Lake Superior and Lake Champlain with the car¬ 
bonates of the coal series. 

This combination has already been made with the best possi¬ 
ble results by Genl. Curtiss, at Sharon, Pa., and for its accom¬ 
plishment every facility is afforded by the Ashtabula & New 
Lisbon R. R. 

Lake Superior ore can be delivered at Ashtabula or Cleveland, 
at $8 per. ton, containing 60 to 70 per. cent, pure metallic iron. 
This may be brought down the road by returning coal cars, and 
deposited at points where the fuel and the carbonates are asso¬ 
ciated, at a price which will be much more than repaid by the 
benefit derived from it. 

In determining the amount of iron contained in the ores which 
I examined, 1 have made use of Penny’s process, by bi¬ 
chromate of potash, which gives only the per cent, metallic iron. 
This is simpler than any other process, and gives apparently 
accurate results. The quantitative analysis of each variety of ore 
would have consumed much more time and money than were 
allotted to the work. 

Since the report was written, I have received from Messrs. 
Jas. Ward & Co., the following interesting letter which lam 
happy to say, confirms all I have said of the value of the Black 
band and other ores of Mahoning and Columbiana Counties. 

This letter is of the greater importance, as it embodies the 
results of many years experience in the use of the materials on 
which I am called to report. 

'Niles, Dec. 17th, 1856. 

Dear Sir: * * * We have been using the Black-band 

ore at our blast furnaces for more than three years past. We 
have used it in various ways, and with a mixture, sometimes of 
“ Hard Blue Rock Ore,” sometimes with Kidney ore, some¬ 
times with Lake Superior or Lake Champlain ore, and some¬ 
times by itself. 

Having been the first discoverers of this ore in this country, 
we gave it a fair trial in every possible manner, and are happy 
to inform you, that it works well in any mixture, and when used 
alone, it produces the very best of foundry iron, open grained 


55 


and strong; in fact, it is superior to the “ Scotch Pig’ 3 for foun¬ 
dry purposes. 

Three and a half tons of raw ore will make a gross ton of 
pig metal, and two and a half of roasted ore will do the 
same. It is very easily smelted, requiring but two tons of coal 
to make a ton of metal, while our other ores require three tons 
of coal fora ton of iron. 

One of our furnaces was running on rock and kidney ores, and 
making 50 tons of metal per week, when we changed her on to 
the Black-band ore exclusively, and she ran up to 68 and 74 tons 
per week; showing how easily it is smelted. 

When the Black-band ore is mixed with our native ores, or 
Lake ores, say £ to £ Black-band, it will make a good quality of 
iron for forge purposes. 

We have made, and we are now making a lirst rate article of 
pig iron, from a mixture of £ Black-band ore, J Rock ore, and ^ 
“ Tap Cinder” from our boiling furnace at the Rolling Mill, 
We manufacture all our pig metal into bar iron and nails, and 
the bar iron is “ as good as is made in the western country.” 
So say our customers. 

We have been manufacturing here for some fourteen years, 
and when stone-coal iron first came into use, it was an up hill 
business to get it introduced ; but we have persevered till we 
have accomplished the manufacture of bar iron from stone coal 
metal exclusively, and that of a quality suitable for locomotives and 
cars , for which it is extensively used . 

We worked here the first pig metal that was made with raw 
stone-coal in the United States. We have used it (raw coal) 
ever since, and now we use nothing else. 

When we say that 3J tons of black band ore are required 
to make a ton of iron, we mean ore taken just as it comes 
from the bank; if it were selected 2 4 tons could do it. The 
ore lies under our coal, and in raising it considerable coal sticks 
to it sufficient to roast the ore without any additional fuel. 

We consider this the best location for manufacturing iron in 
the States, as we have vast fields of coal and iron ores of almost 
all varieties, convenient to the lakes. All the Lake Superior and 
Canada ores must be brought here to be smelted, as this is the 
first point where they meet the fuel and mixture of other ores. 

The coal has been tested and found to be the best adapted for 
iron, of any in the country. It is now used by six blast furna¬ 
ces. Yours respectfully, JAS. WARD & CO. 

Prof. J. S. Newberry, Washington, D. C. 

MARKETS. 

The markets open to the coal of the A. & N. L. R. R. are 
those of the Ohio and the Lakes. 


56 

Of these, that of the Ohio with its connections is almost infi¬ 
nite, but the borders of the Ohio are so liberally furnished with 
this indispensible article, that it can be furnished in the river 
towns at a price which requires that it should be put on the river, 
at an extremely small cost. It is, therefore, doubtful if at present, 
this market would offer any attractions to miners at all removed 
from the immediate bank of the stream. 

The shores of the Great Lakes, destined to be occupied by a 
population more dense than that of any other portion of our 
country, are entirely destitute of deposits of this, better than the 
philosopher stone. 

Thence, we may expect a great and constantly increasing 
demand for coal, which can be furnished of good quality much 
cheaper from Ohio than elsewhere, and from no part of Ohio so 
cheaply and so well, as from that traversed by this Road. 

The coal trade of the Lakes is immense, and yet the first ton 
of bituminous coal used on Lake Erie or its shores was sent to 
Cleveland from the Tallmadge mines in 1828, by my father, 
Henry Newberry, Esq., of Cuyahoga Falls. 

The coal trade of Cleveland has since increased with great ra¬ 
pidity. 

In 1840 it amounted to 5,065 tons. 


u 

1850 

u 

C 6 

83,850 

cc 

u 

1851 

cc 

cc 

103,233 

cc 

u 

1852 

u 

c 

140,000 

cc 

i c 

1853 

cc 

cc 



u 

1854 

u 

c e 

250,000 


a 

1875 

cc 

cc 

318,611 

cc 


Notwithstanding this enormous increase, the price of coal has 
constantly advanced. 

In 1850 the highest price paid for coal in the Cleveland mar¬ 
ket was $3,50 per ton; in 1856 the same coal was uniformly sold 
for $4,50 per ton. 

The coal trade of Erie exhibits a proportionate increase, and 
there has seemed to be no possibility of glutting the market. 







